Andhra Pradesh: As winter nears, Lambasingi beckons tourists

A major problem is the lack of accommodation at the picturesque hill station, which the APTDC is planning to address soon

Lambasingi, a sleepy little village nestled atop the Eastern Ghats in the Agency area of Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, has over the past decade emerged as a sought-after weekend getaway from Visakhapatnam during the winter.

Known for its near-freezing temperatures at the peak of winter, Lambasingi has earned the epithet of ‘Andhra Kashmir’, drawing tourists in droves from near and far between November and January every year.

Earlier part of the combined Visakhapatnam district, Lambasingi has now been made part of Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district. Now that winter is approaching, tourists are again drawing up plans for a visit to the hill station. However, a major problem that tourists face is the lack of accommodation for an overnight trip.

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) had introduced tourist attractions such as a zipline, bungee-jumping and boating at Tajangi, around 7 km from Lambasingi. The ITDA fixed the ticket prices as well as the cost of accommodation — a tent for two costs ₹700, while a tent for three would cost ₹1,000. A luxury tent with an attached bathroom was priced at ₹1,800 in order to avoid tourists getting fleeced by private service providers. The decision to set up these facilities was taken by ITDA Project Officer Ronanki Gopalakrishna on October 7 this year.

“APTDC is offering four tents and private service providers are also offering tents. A good number of private resorts have also come up and they have done good business during the recent Dasara holidays. The tourist rush is picking up once again and is expected to peak in December and January,” says B.S. Padal, a resident of Lambasingi, who was earlier providing a room in his house to tourists on rent.

A.P. Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Regional Director Phani Srinivas expressed optimism that the construction of tourist cottages will be completed by November-end, in time for the peak tourist season.

“Once completed, there will be a total of 11 rooms. There is land available at the site and more resorts can be constructed in future. However, the problem is that during the off-peak season, there is hardly any demand for the resorts,” Mr. Srinivas told The Hindu.