VANAMCOVE 
Horse-face peak trek in shola forest
Why this weekend?
The day-by-day plan
Day 1 · The climb
- Gate entry
- Grassland trek
- Shola stop
- Camp night
Day 2 · The peak
- Summit climb
- Horse-face views
- Descent
- Return
Geography & terrain
Kudremukh lies in the Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka at about 1,894 m, 100 km from Mangalore and 95 km from Chikkamagaluru — the trekking peak of the region, its grasslands, the horse-face ridge and the views set on the western Ghats' high country.
History & culture
The peak's story runs with the region's mining and the trek revival — the town of the old iron-ore mining of the 1970s (the Kudremukh mines) and the peak of the horse-face shape, with the peak's modern role as the trek destination of the national park and the grasslands of the Ghats; the peak's history of the forest habitats and the sanctuary's wildlife, gives Kudremukh its trek-peak character.
Where to stay
Things to do
Fees & timings
- Trek permit (forest SOP)
- Free
Eat & drink
- Base kitchens — The trek meals
- Chikkamagaluru boards — The district plates
- Route stops — The chai corners
Getting there
- Train
- None close — drive or cab
- By car
- 5.5 h via Hassan–Chikmagalur (280 km)
Practical info
- Connectivity: Poor in the park — good in nearby towns
Practical tips
- Park entry needs a permit — arrange through the lodge
- Start the trek by 6:30 am to beat afternoon clouds
- Carry rain gear even in winter; the peaks make their own weather
Frequently asked questions
What is Kudremukh?
The horse-face trek peak of the Ghats.
What is there to do?
The trek, the grasslands and the summit.
How long is the visit?
Two days.
The trek starts in thick shola — dark, mossy, loud with birdsong — and climbs into grasslands where the clouds roll over the ridge and the world turns white for an hour at a time. When the mist clears, the peaks unfold in layers of green to the horizon, and you walk on the roof of the Ghats with waterfalls thundering somewhere below in the fog. The rain comes and goes all day, and you stop caring. By evening, back at the lodge, the fireplace, the Malnad food and the sound of the stream outside are the deepest kind of tired-and-content. Kudremukh asks for a long drive and a long walk — and pays back in green that no photograph quite captures.
Take the break. We'll take the planning.
Tell us your dates, budget and travel style — we'll build your Kudremukh plan with day-by-day routing, stays, food and bookings. First draft + 2 iterations free, then ₹50 per further iterations for planning, book via our links at no extra cost for booking. Draft in ~24 hours.
Get My Free Plan