Kumara Parvatha Trek 2026: Beedahalli Route, Permits, Plan

The Kumara Parvatha trek is open for the 2026–27 season, but only from one side. The Forest Department reopened the Beedahalli round trip near Somwarpet on 18 October 2026, while the classic Kukke Subramanya route and the overnight camp are still off. Here is the route, every rule and a plan from Bengaluru.

Is the Kumara Parvatha trek open, and from which side?

Only the Beedahalli side is open. On 8 November 2026 the Aranya Vihaara portal, the Forest Department's only booking channel for these trails, listed one Kumara Parvatha trek: Beedahalli–Kumaraparvatha–Beedahalli, under Kodagu district. There was no Kukke Subramanya route in any district.

That matches the department's announcement that trekking would resume on 18 October 2026 on the Bidahalli (Beedahalli) route, with no date yet for the Kukke side (Daijiworld, 17 October 2026).

The Kukke-side rules come from Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre's statement in the Assembly in March 2026: online booking, a 5:30 am start, 150 trekkers a day, no overnight stays in the sanctuary, and no trekking in summer or the monsoon (Asianet Newsable, 13 March 2026).

What most guides still get wrong: many top results, and even the state tourism page, still describe a two-day climb from Kukke with a night at Bhattara Mane. That trip isn't available this season. Plan for a one-day climb from Beedahalli.

The Beedahalli route rules at a glance

You get one entry slot, a 5 pm deadline and a strict waste ban, all set by the portal's listing and stricter than most guides suggest. The trek starts at the Beedahalli nature camp (25 km from Somwarpet by the portal, about 28 km by road), goes to the summit and comes back the same way. The department rates it moderate.

The waste rule is the one that catches people out. The listing bans plastic bottles, covers, cups, plates, sachets and paper or aluminium food wrappers, and asks trekkers to carry water in steel or other reusable bottles and food in steel boxes. Staff check bags at the entry. Breaking the rule can mean being turned away, a fine and a cancelled permit.

Two state rules also apply. Under rules announced in April 2026, a certified nature guide walks with every batch on approved routes, one for every 10 trekkers (Outlook Traveller, 19 April 2026). And the August 2026 safety framework allows legal action and blacklisting for anyone who strays off the designated path (newkerala, 30 August 2026).

How to book the permit as a group

Book on Aranya Vihaara: choose Kodagu, then the Beedahalli trek, then the date. Each booking holds 3 people, so a group of 6 makes two bookings for the same date, ideally at the same minute.

Saturdays fill first. As an example, on 8 November 2026 the next Saturday was already full six days out, the Sunday after it had 71 places left and the Saturday after that 58. Weekends three or more weeks out were still mostly open. Book as soon as the 30-day window reaches your date.

• Collect the money first. Refunds are partial (half back if you cancel 8 or more days out, nothing after that), so settle each person's share on UPI before anyone pays.

• Use the right ID. The portal asks for each trekker's government ID, and you carry the original of the one you entered.

• Check the fee at checkout. It shows on the trekker details screen and changes with age band and weekday or weekend.

Our step-by-step Karnataka trek booking guide walks through every screen. If you'd rather not race for permits, these hosted weekend treks from Bengaluru are an option. The Kumara Parvatha listing included the forest permit on 8 November 2026; check each trip's inclusions:

A 2-day Kumara Parvatha itinerary from Bengaluru

Two fixed times shape the plan: through the gate by 9 am, back by 5 pm. So you leave Bengaluru the night before and sleep near Somwarpet after the climb.

Friday night: leave Bengaluru

Leave between 9 and 10 pm. Beedahalli camp is about 274 km by road via Mysuru and Kushalnagar, and Somwarpet is the last town before it, 28 km short of the camp. As listed on 8 November 2026, the hosted Kumara Parvatha trip from Somwarpet leaves Bengaluru between 8:15 and 10 pm and reaches Somwarpet around 6 am.

Driving yourselves? Don't let one person drive all night and then climb for 8 hours. Leave on Friday afternoon and sleep in Somwarpet, or share the wheel.

Saturday: the climb

• 6:00 am: Somwarpet. Breakfast, fill steel bottles, pack lunch.

• 7:00 am: drive 28 km to Beedahalli camp. Book a cab or jeep in Somwarpet the evening before; don't count on a local bus.

• 8:00 am: ID and permit check, bag check for plastic, meet your guide.

• 8:30 am to 12:00 pm: the climb. With breaks, plan on 7 to 8 hours gate to gate.

• 12:30 pm: without a hosted trek leader (your forest guide still walks with you), turn around by now, whether or not you've topped out. Hosted groups follow their trek leader's timing.

• 4:00 to 4:30 pm: back at camp, with half an hour of buffer before 5 pm.

• Evening: a homestay around Somwarpet.

Sunday: falls and the drive home

Mallalli Falls, on the Kumaradhara river below Pushpagiri, makes an easy morning on the way out. The hosted trip adds Manjarabad Fort near Sakleshpur and, as listed, is back in Bengaluru around 10:30 pm.

The Beedahalli trail, section by section

The trail is two very different halves: a gentle forest walk-in, then a steep climb to the grassy summit. We plotted the Forest Department's own route file against a terrain model to see where the effort goes.

• The walk-in (first 1.8 km of the mapped line): shaded evergreen forest with only about 100 m of height gain. Walk it at an easy pace and save your legs.

• The climb (the remaining 2.7 km of the mapped line): about 510 m of ascent, through forest and then onto open grass and rock. This is where groups spread out, so the guide's headcounts matter.

• The summit (about 1,712 m): the top of Pushpagiri, the second-highest peak in Kodagu. Expect wind on the open grass and mist on many November days.

• The descent: the same way down. The steep upper section is harder on knees going down than coming up, so allow almost as long as the climb.

How hard is the Beedahalli route?

It is a long, steep day rather than a technical one. The department rates it moderate, and it is the gentler side of the mountain: you start at about 1,080 m and climb about 620 m, against well over 1,500 m from Kukke, whose entrance sits near 165 m.

• Who it suits: anyone who can walk 12 km with a daypack and climb stairs for an hour without stopping.

• Who should build up first: people who haven't walked 10 km in a day recently. Try a shorter day trek like the Makalidurga sunrise trek first, or the Bandaje Falls trek for a longer test.

• The real risk is time, not terrain. With 6 hours of walking and a 5 pm deadline, a slow start or a long summit break is what goes wrong.

For a mixed group, put the slowest walker just behind the guide and agree the 12:30 pm turnaround before you start.

When is the best time for the Kumara Parvatha trek?

Go from late November to February. In ten seasons of model estimates for the summit (Open-Meteo, 2016 to 2025), the share of rainy days falls from 35% in early November to 19% in late November, and stays between 2% and 6% from late December to the end of February.

• Late October and early November: green and misty, but wet. Trails are slippery and leeches are out on rainy days.

• Late November to mid-December: green slopes and mostly dry days, though about one day in five still sees rain, so carry rain gear.

• Late December to February: the driest weeks, clearer views, browner grass. The model puts average lows at the summit around 11 to 12 °C, so carry a light layer.

• March onwards: heat and haze build. The March 2026 rules close the Kukke route in summer and the monsoon, and the portal decides the Beedahalli season, so check it before you plan anything after February.

Getting there from Bengaluru, and the fuel split

For four friends, driving your own car is usually the cheapest way to make the 6 to 9 am slot. The round trip from Bengaluru with local driving is about 600 km. At 15 km a litre and Bengaluru petrol at ₹110.93 on 8 November 2026 (BankBazaar), that is roughly ₹4,400 of fuel, or about ₹1,100 each, plus tolls on the expressway.

On top of fuel, each person pays:

• The permit: the portal shows the fee only at checkout, after you sign in, so check it there before you collect shares.

• A night's stay: a homestay around Somwarpet, split four ways. Rates vary a lot by season and room, so compare a few before you book.

• Food: breakfast before the climb, a packed lunch in steel boxes and dinner.

By bus, overnight services run from Bengaluru to Somwarpet, but you still need a cab for the last 28 km and back. As listed on 8 November 2026, the hosted Kumara Parvatha trip includes transport, the permit, a homestay night and some meals. Kumara Parvatha trips on GoWeekender list their live dates and prices, so you can compare them with your own sum. For more ways to find people for weekends like this, see travel buddies in Bangalore.

What to carry, and what not to

Pack for a dry trail with no shops, and for a gate check that bans plastic and paper.

• Water: 2 to 3 litres each in steel or reusable bottles. Plan on carrying all of it.

• Food: a packed lunch and snacks in a steel box. No sachets, wrappers or paper bags.

• ID: the original government ID entered on the permit.

• Shoes: trekking shoes with grip for rock and wet grass.

• Layers: a light jacket for the windy top, and a rain layer before mid-December.

• Headlamp: for a pre-dawn start and in case the descent runs late.

• A cloth bag: for anything you'd otherwise throw away. Everything you carry in comes back with you.

Frequently asked questions