Karnataka Trek Online Booking 2026: Permits and Rules

Karnataka trek online booking now runs through one official site, Aranya Vihaara, for every Forest Department trail from Kudremukh to Makalidurga. This guide covers the exact booking steps, which treks the portal lists today, and the 2026 rules on guides, ID and refunds that most guides still get wrong.

What Aranya Vihaara is, and which treks need it

Aranya Vihaara is the Karnataka Forest Department's own booking portal, and any trek on a notified forest trail needs a ticket from it. There is no walk-in option at the checkposts on these routes.

The portal went live in October 2024 after crowding at Kumara Parvatha, and by 2026 it has become the single entry point for the state's regulated trails. On 19 October 2026 it listed treks in seven districts: Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapur, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Kalaburagi, Kodagu and Ramanagara.

Two things to know before you start:

• A listed trek is not an open slot. The portal lists a trail even on days the slot is full or the route is paused, so always check your exact date.

• Unlisted trails are not "free to walk". If a forest trail isn't on the portal, assume it is closed, not unregulated.

The official site is aranyavihaara.karnataka.gov.in. Ignore lookalike sites that "sell permits": the payment goes to the Karnataka Forest Department through the government's PayGov gateway.

Karnataka trek online booking, step by step

The booking takes about ten minutes if you have everyone's ID details ready. These steps follow the Forest Department's own user manual and the live portal as of October 2026.

1. Open the portal and search. On the home page, choose the district, then the trek, then your date, and tap Check availability.

2. Pick a slot. Each trek shows its time slot and the seats left (for example "137/150 available"). Select it and tap Book now.

3. Sign in or register. First-timers register once with a name, email and mobile number, verify the mobile by OTP and set a password. Your email becomes your user ID.

4. Add the trekkers. For each person enter the name, the government ID type and number, age, gender and mobile. The fee for each age band (5-12, 12-18, 18 and above) and for weekdays or weekends shows on this screen. One booking holds up to 10 trekkers, the limit shown in the department's manual.

5. Verify by OTP. An OTP goes to the first trekker's mobile, so the group leader should be listed first.

6. Pay. Accept the terms and pay on the PayGov page by card, UPI, net banking or wallet. You return to the portal with a booking confirmation.

Save the confirmation and the order ID. You need the order ID to check a refund later, and the portal has a Check refund status box on the home page for it.

Which treks you can book on Aranya Vihaara right now

These are the treks the portal listed when we checked on 19 October 2026, by district. Slots still depend on the date and on route-wise safety checks.

• Chikkamagaluru: Kudremukh, Kurinjal, Gangadikal, Bandaje Falls, Ballalarayana Durga, Ettina Bhuja, Merthi Gudda and Karshi Gudda.

• Dakshina Kannada: Netravati Peak.

• Kodagu: Beedahalli–Kumara Parvatha–Beedahalli, Tadiandamol, Talakaveri–Nishani Motte, and Kuttiyala–Nandigunda–Sharadabbi.

• Bengaluru Rural: Makalidurga and Hulukudi Betta.

• Ramanagara: Savandurga and Bidirukatte.

• Chikkaballapur: Skandagiri and Kaivara Betta.

• Kalaburagi: the Chandrampalli nature trek (long and short).

Kumara Parvatha is back, but only one way. Trekking resumed on 18 October 2026 on the Bidahalli (Beedahalli) round trip. No date has been given for the Kukke Subrahmanya route, so the classic one-way traverse to Kukke isn't available yet (Daijiworld, October 2026).

Kodachadri and Narasimha Parvatha were not in the portal's district list on 19 October 2026. Check again before planning either one. On the same day the portal's own demand panel rated Netravati and Kudremukh "very high", and Bandaje Falls, Skandagiri and Kurinjal "high".

If you would rather have someone else handle the permits, these are hosted weekend treks from Bengaluru on GoWeekender that include them:

The 2026 trekking rules at a glance

Karnataka's April 2026 standard operating procedure (SOP) changed how a day on the trail works. The short version: no guide, no trek. Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre announced the rules, and they apply to every Forest Department trekking route (Deccan Chronicle, 17 April 2026).

• Guides: a certified local nature guide walks with every batch, one guide for every 10 trekkers. Even a single registered trekker gets one.

• Batch size: at most 150 trekkers per batch on any route.

• Registration: online booking is mandatory.

• Check-ins: guides carry GPS-enabled walkie-talkies and call base camp every 30 minutes.

• Minors need a consent letter from a parent or guardian. Senior citizens need a fitness certificate.

• Banned on the trail: campfires, single-use plastic and carry bags, flash photography and loud devices. Carry your waste back to base camp.

• Arrival: report at the start point at least 10 minutes before your slot, says the portal.

Cancellation and refunds under the July 2026 policy

Refunds became much stricter on 15 July 2026, so book only dates your group is sure of. These are the rules on the portal's cancellation and refund policy page as of October 2026:

• Cancel 8 or more days before the trek: you get 50% of what you paid.

• Cancel within 7 days of the trek (including the 7th day): no refund.

• Cancelled tickets are not resold, so a dropped seat can't go to a friend through the portal.

• Refund timing: the policy page promises processing within 7 working days. A banner on the home page says credits can take up to 30 working days, so plan for the longer one.

For a group this matters more than the fee itself. If one person in a booking of six drops out a week before, that share is gone. Collect each person's share before you book, and agree in the group chat that late drop-outs don't get it back.

Booking for a group of friends

One person can book for the whole group, up to 10 trekkers per booking. That number is no accident: it matches the one-guide-per-10 rule, so a group of 10 or fewer moves with its own guide.

Before the group leader books:

• Collect ID details from everyone. Each trekker's ID type and number goes into the booking.

• Use the ID each person will carry. Since 15 July 2026 everyone must show the original ID used at booking on the trek day. A photo on a phone or a different card can get you turned back.

• Put the leader first. The OTP goes to the first trekker's mobile, so the leader books under their own number.

• Split the money up front. The fee is per person and refunds are partial, so settle shares on UPI before paying. Then the leader isn't left carrying a no-show.

• More than 10 people? Make two bookings for the same slot one after the other, and check the seat count first.

Still looking for people to trek with? Our guide to finding travel buddies in Bangalore covers where trekking crews form and how to vet them. The checklist in is it safe to travel with strangers in India is worth a read before a first trek with new people.

Why the rules tightened in 2026

The tighter rules followed a run of incidents, and the department now pauses trails instead of leaving them open.

• May 2026: a leopard killed a 10-year-old boy in the MM Hills area. On 11 May the department suspended trekking on forest routes with leopard, tiger, elephant or bear movement "until further orders". It also suspended any route where the SOP wasn't being followed until an officer certified compliance.

• 30 August 2026: a wider safety framework added daily entry limits, GPS tracking, trained local-youth guides, and a route-by-route assessment before any trail reopens. It also allows suspension when big wildlife is sighted, and blacklisting or legal action for trekkers who stray off the path. The report cites about 39 designated routes and lists incidents at MM Hills, Tadiandamol and Bandaje Falls (newkerala, 30 August 2026).

In practice, a trail can close at short notice even after you have booked. Keep the order ID handy, check the portal's notifications the day before, and don't plan a long drive around a trek you haven't confirmed.

Book it yourself or join a hosted trek?

Booking on Aranya Vihaara yourself is cheapest when your group already has transport and a stay sorted. A hosted weekend trek makes sense when you don't want to chase slots, the overnight drive and a homestay yourself.

Booking it yourself suits you if:

• your group has its own car or a self-drive plan to the base village

• you can book the day slots open for popular trails like Kudremukh and Netravati

• everyone's dates are fixed, given the July 2026 refund rules

A hosted trek suits you if:

• you are coming solo or as two and want a group to walk with

• you want the overnight transport from Bengaluru, a homestay night and meals handled

• you'd rather the host deal with permits and the guide

On the hosted Western Ghats treks listed on GoWeekender from Bengaluru, the trip pages include Forest Department permits and a local guide. Their hosts note that the trek runs only when the permit is issued for that date. The Kudremukh weekend trek and the Bandaje Falls weekend trek are two examples. Browse more on the Karnataka trips page or all group trips from Bengaluru.

Mistakes that cost people their trek

Most failed trek days come down to ID, timing or a site that isn't the real one.

• A different ID on the day. You must carry the original of the ID you booked with. Booking with a PAN card and carrying a driving licence is a common slip.

• Booking on an unofficial site. Only aranyavihaara.karnataka.gov.in issues Forest Department tickets.

• Arriving after your slot. Report 10 minutes before the start time. Late arrivals can be refused.

• Booking "just in case" dates. With 50% or no refund, speculative bookings cost real money.

• Assuming a listed trek is open. Check the date's seats and the portal notifications. Routes can pause for wildlife or safety reasons.

• Treating the guide as optional. Walking ahead of or away from your guide breaks the SOP, and the August 2026 framework allows blacklisting.

Frequently asked questions