Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jan 7: Even after the forest department introduced a regulated entry system to curb unrestricted access to trekking destinations in the Western Ghats, the Kudremukh forest division alone recorded as many as 1,26,685 visitors last year.

In 2025, Netravati Peak emerged as the most popular trekking destination in the Kudremukh region. Largely driven by extensive promotion on social media, Netravati Peak has surpassed even Kudremukh Peak in popularity. A total of 51,657 trekkers visited Netravati Peak during the year. Located near Samse in the Kudremukh range, the peak derives its name from being the origin point of the Netravati river.

Kudremukh Peak secured the second position with 33,340 visitors, while Kurinjal Peak, situated close to Kudremukh, attracted 13,340 trekkers.

Other popular trekking destinations in the region include Kodachadri with 11,786 visitors, Gangadikallu with 10,114, Narasimha Parvatha with 3,800, and Valikunja with 1,662 visitors.

The evergreen trekking destinations of the Western Ghats continue to attract not only trekkers from the coastal belt but also a large number of visitors from other districts and states.

With the number of trekkers increasing year after year, managing the inflow had become challenging, prompting the introduction of a mandatory advance booking system for all treks.

Trekkers are now required to register through the Aranya Vihara website, bringing greater organisation to trekking activities. As per the regulations, only 300 trekkers are allowed to register per day for each trek. Once the quota for a particular day is filled, bookings must be made for another date, enabling effective control over the number of visitors.