Kambalakonda Eco-Tourism Park: Visakhapatnams inexperienced retreat with cottages, wildlife and thrills

As you enter the arched gate of the Kambalakonda Eco-Tourism Park, a soothing symphony of cicadas and birds replaces the din of the town. A path meanders below a leafy cover, the place the scent of damp earth lingers after the morning spell of pre-monsoon showers. The park opens up step by step, revealing a stretch of meadows flanked by dense tropical deciduous forest, interspersed with scrubland and rocky outcrops. A household of noticed deer grazes simply off the trail, calm and unafraid, accustomed to sharing this house with guests. The majestic white-bellied sea eagle glides in sluggish, purposeful circles above the inexperienced expanse, usually sighted within the early hours close to the waterbody.

Spread throughout 71 sq. kilometres, Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary is one among Visakhapatnam’s richest pure treasures. Bordered by the Simhachalam hill vary to the west and the Gambheeram reservoir to the north-east, it gives a novel ecological mix with an oasis of combined forest cover, scrubland, and perennial water-body, supporting a dense and numerous internet of life. Now, because of a collection of revitalisation initiatives by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, the sanctuary and its eco-tourism park are abuzz with new options and upgrades.

Under the Nagar Van Yojana (NVY), a Central Government scheme that goals to develop 400 city forests and 200 vatikas by 2025, Kambalakonda is being remodeled not simply as a vacationer spot however as an important city inexperienced lung. Managed by the Eco Development Committee of Sambhuvanipalem village, the sanctuary exemplifies community-led conservation.

“We’re creating Kambalakonda as a mannequin eco-tourism vacation spot,” says G Mangamma, Deputy Conservator of Forest and curator of Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. “Of the 5 cottages being constructed, three are already accomplished. The remaining two shall be prepared inside two weeks, and we’ll open them shortly to the general public.”

These rustic cottages, tucked into the forest’s edge, are being created to supply an expertise rooted in sustainability, permitting guests to immerse themselves within the sounds and sights of the wild. The challenge is a part of a broader Detailed Project Report (DPR) price ₹2 crore, of which ₹1.4 crore was sanctioned and ₹75 lakh price of labor accomplished within the earlier 12 months. The remainder of the services are anticipated to be prepared inside the subsequent one month.

A biodiversity hotspot

The sanctuary is dwelling to over 120 species of birds, making it a birder’s paradise. Regular sightings embody these of bulbuls, barbets, cuckoos, hornbills, flycatchers, leafbirds and starlings. Along its streams and water-bodies, you would possibly spot white-breasted waterhens, moorhens, herons, lapwings and teals. Species with excessive conservation precedence just like the painted stork and the elusive pale-capped pigeon have additionally been recorded right here.

The forest additionally harbours a number of mammalian species and reptiles. In a ground-breaking discovery two years in the past, the sanctuary recorded the first-ever sighting of the Barkudia limbless skink (Barkudia melanosticta), a small, elusive reptile identified for its limbless physique and subterranean life-style. The sighting thrilled herpetologists and opened new analysis avenues into the wealthy, understudied fauna of the Eastern Ghats.

Green infrastructure

Apart from the brand new cottages, a number of different services are being constructed and upgraded to counterpoint the customer expertise. Three trek routes, fashionable with locals and vacationers alike, are being refurbished forward of the monsoon, with pathways cleared and signages up to date. A block plantation that includes indigenous forest species was raised, making a mini forest inside the sanctuary.

One of the highlights is the amphitheatre, now sporting forest-themed inexperienced hues, providing a pure setting for college programmes, neighborhood workshops, and Nature-based storytelling occasions. Nearby, a brand new yoga and meditation centre invitations guests to have interaction with Nature via stillness and mindfulness.

Additionally, an interpretation centre is developing inside the eco-tourism park. Designed to teach the general public on the sanctuary’s natural world, it’ll function informative boards and illustrations. To enhance connectivity inside the park, a gabion bridge has been constructed linking the eco-tourism zone to Vana Mitra, the Forest Department’s nursery. “Visitors can now straight entry the nursery and select from almost two lakh plant saplings obtainable,” says Mangamma. The concept is to make conservation tangible, one thing guests can take dwelling within the type of a plant.

For the adventurous

Adventure and family-friendly recreation have discovered a spot in Kambalakonda’s evolving id. The Livein Adventures crew gives actions like rappelling, slack-lining, ziplining, tyre walks and cord challenges, all built-in into the forest surroundings. Kayaking provides one other dimension of enjoyable right here. The revamped kids’s play space has been drawing household crowds, whereas the renovated canteen gives a refreshed menu and resting spot for the weary trekkers.

Three watchtowers with stone-packed pure stairs and bolstered with wood sticks have been constructed, providing panoramic views of the sanctuary and past. These viewing factors, particularly at dawn or sundown, are the place Nature places on a spectacle of sunshine, sound and silence.

Soon, guided nature walks are anticipated to turn out to be a daily function. At current, they’re held sporadically, however as customer numbers develop and infrastructure scales up, extra structured experiences will take form.

Published – May 24, 2025 09:19 pm IST