Kudremukh — "horse face", for the profile of the summit — is the second-highest peak in Karnataka at about 1,894 metres, at the heart of a national park of shola grassland and rainforest. The classic trek from Mullodi runs roughly 20 km round trip through rolling green ridges and stream crossings; forest-department permits and a guide are compulsory, and numbers are capped.
What to do here
- Trek the Mullodi–summit route (permit required)
- Arrange a compulsory forest guide in advance
- Start at dawn to finish in daylight
- Watch for shola-grassland birdlife
The district's premier long trek and its wildest protected landscape.
History
The surrounding Kudremukh National Park protects the catchment of the Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi rivers and is one of the most important rainforest reserves in the Western Ghats.
Travel tips
A permit-only trek inside Kudremukh National Park, booked online in advance through the forest department — slots open 15 days ahead and go immediately, daily numbers are capped, and there is no counter sale. About 22 km round trip from the base at Mullodi, 6–8 hours. Carry all your water.
Please note
Do: book the permit yourself and carry the government ID it was issued against. Do: start by the time the gate opens; latecomers are turned back and there is no refund or date change. Do: carry salt or Dettol for leeches from June to September. Don't: camp — camping inside the park is an offence. Don't: light fires, smoke or play music. Don't: take plastic in; bring every wrapper out.
Combine your trip
Places near Kudremukh Peak
Netravathi Peak
A long grassland walk above the Netravathi's headwaters, with the coastal plain in view.
Meruthi Gudda
A half-day grassland climb outside the park core — the trek to do when the permits have gone.
Sarva Siddhi Ganapathi Temple, Samse
A Ganapathi shrine standing in the middle of a tea estate, ten kilometres from Kalasa.
DamLakya Dam
The mine's old tailings dam, now a still green sheet of water under the Kudremukh grasslands.