The Kumara Parvatha trek has reopened after several months with online bookings capped at 300 visitors a day and access restricted to the Kumaralli-Beedalli route, forest officials said. The new system requires trekkers to travel in guided groups, while GPS tracking, walkie-talkies and emergency response arrangements have been introduced across the trail.
The permitted section covers a seven-kilometre trek from Beedalli to the summit, making the total round trip 14 kilometres. Kumara Parvatha lies at the junction of Kodagu, Hassan and Dakshina Kannada districts and is located within the Pushpagiri wildlife range.
Pushpagiri wildlife range forest officer K Dinesh said the reopening followed a recommendation from local forest officials. The decision comes after the state government suspended trekking following several incidents, including a fatal leopard attack at Male Mahadeshwara Hills, a missing trekker at Tadiandamol and the death of a 15-year-old girl from Kerala in the Chandra Drona range of Chikkamagaluru district in April.
Following those incidents, a team of senior forest officials prepared a standard operating procedure for trekker safety. Forest officials said trekking has now resumed on most of Karnataka’s 39 trails after the guidelines were formulated.
Under the new arrangements, trekkers must be placed in groups of 10, with each group accompanied by a trained guide. Entering the forest alone or in a small group without a guide is prohibited. The forest department has trained 90 guides, including 30 assigned to the Beedalli route.
Safety preparations on the trail include clearing dense undergrowth and installing signboards. Guides have been issued short-range walkie-talkies with coverage of about two kilometres, along with high-visibility, radium-coated jackets. Signboards have also been installed at four or five points where mobile connectivity is available. A GPS tracking system is operational for monitoring trekker movement.
Emergency response arrangements involve forest personnel, police, the State Disaster Response Force, drones and local residents. Officials said violations of the rules could lead to disciplinary action and blacklisting, making compliance a condition for continued access to the trail.
The forest department is also preparing to recommend the reopening of the 24-kilometre Kukke Subramanya route. Permission for that route is likely to be considered by the end of October, officials said. The route is in high demand because it has better bus and train connectivity and offers more accommodation options.
The Beedalli route, by contrast, has inadequate connectivity and no overnight accommodation. For now, online booking, group access and the new supervision system will determine how trekkers enter and move through the forest. The next reopening decision will depend on the department’s recommendation and permission process.
