Pitchandikulam Forest

Seventy acres of Tamil Nadu Dry Evergreen Forest standing on land that was bare and eroded five decades ago - the clearest single result of Auroville's reforestation work on this coast. Inside are a demonstration garden of nearly 300 medicinal plants, a herbal garden of about a hundred species grown for practitioners, and an environmental education centre used by schoolchildren from the villages around. Most visitors skip it precisely because there is no gate and no ticket: weekly open days are held for students, visitors and farmers, and guided visits are arranged on request, so contact them before going.

Dense forest that simply did not exist fifty years ago - open to anyone who asks first