Kodachadri Trek from Bengaluru via Hidlumane Falls (2026)

The Kodachadri trek via Hidlumane Falls packs a forest trail, a climb beside a tiered waterfall and a 1,343 m summit into one weekend from Bengaluru. Here is the plan, hour by hour, with the November 2026 permit situation and what it costs.

Kodachadri trek at a glance

The Hidlumane route is the classic one: you earn the summit on foot through forest and falls instead of riding most of the way up by jeep.

• Summit: Sarvajna Peetha on Kodachadri, 1,343 m (about 4,400 ft), the highest point in Shivamogga district (Deccan Herald, 28 October 2026).

• Where it is: the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary area, on the Shivamogga–Udupi border, about 390 km from central Bengaluru by road (OpenStreetMap routing).

• Distance on foot: about 10–12 km. Karnataka Tourism puts the trek at about 12 km; the hosted trip listed on GoWeekender gives about 10 km in all.

• Time: a full day. Plan to start walking by 7:30 AM and to be off the hill before dark.

• Difficulty: moderate, with a full day on your feet. Karnataka Tourism asks for "moderate to high" fitness. The hard parts are the wet rock beside the falls and a steep, rooty climb after it.

• Best season: October to February, per Karnataka Tourism (page last updated 22 October 2026).

• Route, bottom to top: Hidlumane village → paddy fields, forest and a wide meadow → the tiers of Hidlumane Falls → a steep forest climb → Everest Meadow → the jeep road → the Mookambika temple → the ridge to Sarvajna Peetha.

Is the Kodachadri trek open, and how do permits work? (November 2026)

Not confirmed. As of 3 November 2026 you can't book Kodachadri on Aranya Vihaara, the state's online trek portal, and no official page shows its status for a given date. The portal's district list that day had no Shivamogga, the same as on 19 October 2026.

Don't start the trek without a Forest Department permit or receipt for your date and route. If nobody can issue one, that route isn't open to you that day.

What this means for you:

• Going on your own? We found no published contact for the issuing forest office, so ask your homestay early which route is permitted for your date, and to book the local nature guide.

• If Shivamogga reappears on the portal, book there. Our Karnataka trek booking guide covers its rules: 1 to 30 days ahead, the original ID, 50% back at 8+ days out.

• The state's April 2026 trekking rules apply on approved Forest Department routes: a local nature guide for every 10 trekkers and no single-use plastic on the trail.

The night before: Bengaluru to the base

Leave Bengaluru by about 9:30 PM and you reach the Nittur–Sampekatte side of Kodachadri around dawn. That is the start the Hidlumane route needs. If you plan it yourselves, a Friday-night start fits a Saturday–Sunday weekend.

The hosted trip uses the same shape on different days. Its November 2026 departures are listed as Friday–Saturday dates with pickup the evening before, so expect to need a day off work, and check the pickup day on its page. Pickups run from 7:30 PM, through HSR Layout, Domlur, Cubbon Park and Mekhri Circle to Yeshwanthpur by 9:40 PM, in a non-AC tempo traveller or mini bus. Dinner on the way is on you, so eat before you board.

If your group drives itself, be honest about sleep: an all-night drive straight into a 10–12 km trek day leaves the driver with almost none. Safer options are leaving on Friday afternoon and sleeping at the homestay, or hiring a driver for the night. Book the homestay, the guide and a jeep for the way down from the temple in one call. You arrive in the dark on narrow village roads, so save the homestay's location on your phone before you leave.

Day 1: Hidlumane Falls to Everest Meadow

Day 1 is the whole trek: falls in the morning, the summit in the afternoon, a jeep down before dark. These timings follow the hosted plan.

5:30 AM: homestay, breakfast, briefing

Freshen up, eat breakfast from 6:15 AM (the host plans to finish by 6:45) and fill two bottles each. It's a short ride to the trailhead near Hidlumane village, where the trek leader and the local guide brief the group.

7:30 AM: forest, fields and Hidlumane Falls

The trail starts as an easy walk through paddy fields and forest, then opens onto a wide meadow. Then the trail turns into a real climb up the wet rocks beside Hidlumane Falls. The host describes the falls as a staircase of seven tiers topped by a main fall of almost 60 ft.

Go slow here: this is the slipperiest part of the route. Use your hands, test every foothold and keep off the moss. Refill your water at the falls.

12:30 PM: the steep part and lunch at Everest Meadow

Above the falls the path gets steeper over tree roots and mossy rock, up to a first peak and the open grassland the host calls Everest Meadow. Hosted groups stop here for lunch. On the alternate route (falls and back, then a jeep to the temple) there is no Everest Meadow climb, so hosted bookers should ask which route is confirmed for their date before paying. On your own, carry a packed lunch: there's nothing to buy on this stretch.

Day 1 afternoon: the summit and the jeep down

The afternoon is shorter but more exposed: a ridge walk to the top, then a jeep ride off the hill before dusk.

2:00 PM: the temple and the summit ridge

From the meadow you join the jeep road to the Mookambika temple, then walk the last rocky ridge to Sarvajna Peetha. It's a small stone shrine where Adi Shankaracharya is said to have meditated. The ridge has drops on both sides, so stay on the path when it's windy or misty.

On a clear day the view runs west towards the Arabian Sea. On a misty day you may see very little: this hill gets heavy rain for much of the year.

5:30 PM: jeep down, dinner, early night

An off-road jeep brings the group down from the temple to the base, then on to the homestay for tea, dinner and an early night. Don't plan to walk down in the dark: the forest trail is slippery and hard to follow without light.

Day 2: Devagange, Nagara Fort and home

Day 2 is easy, so tired legs can rest. The hosted plan visits two places near the base and then heads home.

• 8:30 AM, Devagange Temple: which the host describes as a quiet temple set in forest and streams.

• 10:30 AM, Nagara Fort: the walls, watchtowers and stone gateways of an old Keladi Nayaka fort.

• 1:00 PM, lunch: at a local eatery, paid for yourself, with simple and limited options.

• 2:00 PM, drive back: you reach Bengaluru around 10:30 PM, depending on traffic.

Getting there on your own: car or bus

For the Hidlumane route, a car is the practical do-it-yourself option: we couldn't confirm a bus service to the Nittur side. Public transport gets you close, but mostly to the Kollur side, which skips the falls.

• Car: about 390 km each way. OpenStreetMap routes it west via Tumakuru and Arsikere, with state highways for the last stretch to the trail near Hidlumane village. Going by the hosted trip's timings, the overnight run takes about 8 hours with stops.

• Where to stay: Karnataka Tourism notes local homestays and resorts near the base. For the Hidlumane route, stay on the Nittur–Sampekatte side.

• Bus to Kollur: KSRTC and private operators run overnight buses to Kollur. AbhiBus lists fares from about ₹538, a last departure at 9:45 PM and about 10.5 hours on the road (AbhiBus, November 2026). From Kollur the jeep road to Kodachadri is 37.3 km, about 90 minutes, and you walk the last 2 km to the peak (Deccan Herald). That's a fine pilgrim-and-viewpoint day, but it isn't the Hidlumane trek.

What the Kodachadri trek costs

A hosted weekend has one price with most things included. Driving yourselves, you can price the fuel today, but the stay, jeep, permit and guide need local quotes, so treat the self-drive list as a checklist rather than a total.

Hosted trip (as of November 2026):

• From about ₹4,599 per head (November 2026), or about ₹4,830 with 5% GST, plus a convenience fee at checkout. The trip cards above show the current price.

• Included: transport from Bengaluru, the homestay night, 2 breakfasts, a lunch, high tea and a dinner, the Forest Department fees and permit, the trek-day jeep, a trek leader and a local guide.

• Not included: dinner on the way out, lunch on Day 2 and insurance.

• Check the trip page for live dates and the current price.

Self-drive checklist, group of four:

• Fuel: about 850 km round trip with local driving. A car doing 15 km per litre uses about 57 litres. At ₹111.68 a litre in Bengaluru (Aaj Tak, 3 November 2026), that's about ₹6,300, or roughly ₹1,600 each, before tolls.

• Plus: the permit and guide, a homestay night, four or five meals, the jeep and tolls. We couldn't find official, current rates for the homestays, jeeps or the local permit. Ask your homestay for its room, jeep and guide rates when you confirm the permit.

For four friends driving, split it in three lines: fuel (about ₹1,600 each), the homestay quote divided by four, and the jeep hire split equally among the riders. Settle shares on UPI before anyone pays a booking. That way one person isn't left covering a drop-out.

Best time for the Kodachadri trek

October to February is the window Karnataka Tourism recommends for pleasant weather, well after the monsoon has eased.

• October–November: just after the monsoon, so the hills are green and the falls still have water. A good balance for a first visit.

• December–February: cooler mornings, drier rock and the best chance of clear views from the top.

• March–May: hotter, with less water in the falls.

• June–September: heavy rain, slippery rock and leeches. The falls are at their fullest, but this is no season for a first-timer on the Hidlumane climb.

Difficulty and safety on the Hidlumane route

Karnataka Tourism asks for moderate to high fitness, so a few weeks of stairs or hill walks before the trip will help. The risks are slips on wet rock, the exposed summit ridge and getting caught out after dark.

• The falls section: wet, slippery rock. Wear trekking shoes with real grip, not running shoes, and keep both hands free.

• Leeches: common in the wet months. Carry salt or a leech spray, and check your socks at every break.

• Water: carry two litres each, and refill at the falls.

• Daylight: start by 7:30 AM so you reach the summit by mid-afternoon and the jeep before dusk.

• Stay with your guide: under the 2026 rules a local nature guide walks with every 10 trekkers, and the state's August 2026 safety rules allow blacklisting for straying off the path.

• Age and paperwork: the hosted trip sets a minimum age of 12. Under the April 2026 rules, minors need a consent letter from a parent or guardian, and senior citizens a fitness certificate.

What to carry

Pack for rain, mud and a long day, even in the dry months. This list draws on the hosted trip's own kit list.

• ID: the original of the photo ID your permit was issued against, plus a printed copy.

• Feet: trekking shoes with good grip, floaters for the homestay, and spare socks.

• Rain and cold: a raincoat or shell, a warm layer for the summit, and a waterproof phone cover.

• Water and food: two 1-litre bottles, snacks, and a packed lunch if you go on your own.

• Leeches: salt or a leech spray, especially in and just after the monsoon.

• Other: a headtorch, a power bank, personal medicines, poly bags for wet clothes, and cash for local meals.

Planning it with a group

Kodachadri works best with four to ten people. That's a car (four or five) or a shared jeep or tempo traveller for the rest, enough to split a homestay, and small enough to move with one guide under the one-per-10 rule.

• In the app: once you book a hosted trip you pay in the GoWeekender app and join that group's trip chat.

• No crew yet? Our guide to finding travel buddies in Bangalore covers where trekking groups form and how to try a new group on a short trek first.

• Going with strangers? Read the checklist in is it safe to travel with strangers in India first.

• Joining solo: if you'd rather go with a group than build one, the trip page says its meals are home-made and vegetarian, a female trek leader goes with every group, and the homestay has separate sleeping areas for men and women.

• Want another Western Ghats weekend after this one? Our Bandaje Falls trek guide has the plan, and all Kodachadri trips and guides live on the Kodachadri page.

The Kodachadri ropeway: what the 2026 plan changes

Nothing yet for trekkers. A 3.74 km ropeway, with its lower station about 3 km from Kollur bus stand and its upper station about 300 m from the peak, is in the clearance stage, and its tentative deadline is 2029, according to Deccan Herald (28 October 2026).

The project needs forest and wildlife clearances first, which officials expect within a year. It would cut the Kollur trip from about 90 minutes to 20–30 minutes. For now, the jeep road and the trail are the only ways up.

Frequently asked questions