Kumara Parvatha

Kumara Parvatha has always drawn people who want the climb itself to be the whole point - a long, punishing pull through forest and grassland to Karnataka's second-highest summit, with the Western Ghats laid out below as the payoff. But the shape of the trek has changed: what used to be a two-day crossing with a night on the mountain is now, under current forest rules, only possible as a single demanding day. We haven't built a group itinerary around that yet - see the notice below before planning your trip around this one.

The classic line climbs out of Kukke Subramanya through dense forest, crosses the Kumara Dhara river, and breaks into open grassland before the final push to the 1,712m summit - traditionally spread across two days with a night on the mountain. That overnight version is no longer permitted: current Karnataka Forest Department rules prohibit camping inside Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and allow only a single-day round trip, booked in advance through the department's online permit system. We're not yet running departures under the new rules - see the notice on this page for where things stand.

• A river crossing at the Kumara Dhara, treated as sacred ground by local communities
• The steep hand-off from dense forest to open grassland partway up
• Wide, uninterrupted Western Ghats views from Karnataka's second-highest summit

Fitness level required: high. Group size runs 6–12 people.

• Sturdy trekking shoes
• Trekking pole
• 3L water capacity
• High-energy snacks

• Not recommended for those without prior high-difficulty trekking experience
• Current forest rules require a licensed guide and mandate a strict single-day start/return window - see notice below before planning around this trek
• Trek leader briefs the group on the toughest sections in advance, when departures resume

Karnataka Forest Department permits for this route are issued exclusively online through the Aranya Vihaara portal, capped at a limited number of trekkers per day, as a single-day round trip only (no overnight stay). This trek is not currently offered by SO[u]LE MATES - see the notice on this page before planning around it.

A ₹1,000 Booking Advance secures your booking request. Final confirmation is issued only after operational and permit verification. The advance is non-refundable and non-transferable, as it blocks your spot in the group.

If we cancel a trek due to weather, safety, or forest department restrictions, you get a full refund or a free reschedule.

Update 2026-08-26: the 2026 Karnataka Forest Department framework that stopped the traditional ~21-22 km / 2D1N Kumara Parvatha route is still in force - overnight stays inside Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary remain banned. However, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre confirmed in the Karnataka Vidhana Sabha (13 Mar 2026, reported by Asianet Newsable) that a single-day, ~20 km round trip via Kukke Subramanya is now permitted through the Aranya Vihaara portal, capped at roughly 150 trekkers/day with a mandatory 5:30am-6pm window - corroborated independently by the Kukke Subramanya Devasthanam's own trek guide and several current trek-permit blogs. duration was updated from 2D/1N to 1D/0N because the overnight format is no longer legally possible under any circumstance, not just unavailable from us. operationalStatus was changed from route_restricted to temporarily_unavailable (not to permit_required/permit) because SO[u]LE MATES has not yet designed or verified a single-day group itinerary, guiding, or logistics plan around the new rules - do not flip bookingMode to permit or request until that operational plan actually exists and is confirmed internally.