Information in detail:

Chembra peak is one of the beautiful hill in south India. Foothill of the peak is covered with tea estates. Chembra peak comes in Wayanad district.

Chembra peak trek starting point :

Chembra peak situated in Waynad district in Kerala state. Getting to trek starting point(from Bangalore) is bit difficult by public transport. If you are travelling in public transport then you can catch KSRTC bus to Kalpetta. From Kalpetta you required to catch another bus to Meppadi(Kalpetta -14 Kms - Meppadi ). From Meppadi you can hire jeep to reach chembra trek starting point (Meppadi - 10 Kms -chembra trek starting point )

If your are planning to go by private vehicle then driving route from Bangalore will be: Bangalore -100KMs -Mandya -44 - KMS -Mysore -22KMS - Nanjanagud -36KMS - Gundlapet -58KMS - Sulthan bathery - 23KMS- Kalpetta -12KMS- Meppadi -10KMS- Chembra

Bangalore - 305KMS - Chembra. AIRAVAT (VOLVO AC) : Timings-22:45,23:14 Journey Hours:06:28, RAJAHAMSA EXECUTIVE: Timings - 21:04,21:29,21:59,22:29,23:01 Journey Hours:08:00

Fresh up/ Lodge :

Kalpetta is place where you can find few decent lodges where you can fresh up in morning / stay after your trek.

Chembra peak trek distance :

Total length of trek is about 4.5 Kms (onside). Distance between trek starting point till watch tower is about 1KMS. From watch tower to Heart shape lake is about 2 KMS far. Distance between heart shaped lake and Chembra peak is about 1.5 KMS.

Chembra peak trek difficulty:

This is moderate trek for average trekker. Trek from starting point till watch tower is pretty easy. From watch tower till heart shape lake trek difficulty level is easy. Actual difficulty starts from heart shape lake. From heart shape lake till peak trek is difficult.

Time to trek Chembra peak :

Initial trek trail from starting point to watch tower requires 15 - 20 Mins to trek. From watch tower to heart shape lake requires 1 - 2 hours to trek. It requires another 1-2 hours to trek from heart shaped lake to chembra peak.

Chembra peak Camping sites:

Camping at Chembra peak is not permitted

Best time to trek Chembra peak :

Best time to trek will be September to March. Post monsoon will be better as it will be more green and more cloudy. November, December and January will be ideal time to trek. In February and march grass will turn into yellowish. March onwards it will more dry but you can trek. Avoid rainy season as it will be more slippery

Getting Permission for trekking :

You will get on spot permission in forest office. You can get guide in forest office only.You will get permission between 7AM-2PM

Chembra peak trek route :

Trekking trail is about 4.5 KMS from starting point, Trekking trail can be classified into 4 parts.

Stage-1:

This is from trekking starting point till watch tower. This is pretty easy trek trail as you can enjoy lush green scenery and tea estate.

Stage-2:

This is stretch between Watch tower till end of forest, In this stretch you will be trekking inside forest(In-fact it is not a big forest), This stretch will be having moderate difficult.

Stage 3:

Open space trek till Heart shape lake: This trek trail is varies from easy to moderate difficultly level.

Stage-4:

Heart shape lake to peak: this is where your real trek starts. this is steep part of the trek. In heavy rains it is advised to not to trek this stretch . If you want to trek in summer then start trekking in early morning as it will be heard to trek in afternoon.

The trek normally starts from 7 am. The whole trek might take about 4 to 7 hrs. Depends how you can able to walk. The permission can be obtained from the Manager, Chembra Peak Estate, Meppadi PO, Wyanaad District, Kerala.

U can expect a trek of 1.5-2 hours going up the peak, but it all depends on your fitness and can be quicker or slower. It is recommended to take breaks in between.

Try to start the trek early in the day by 7. You don't need any special permission from the forest department for trekking. You just need to take entry tickets (Rs 750/- for a small group, i don't remember the number exactly). After taking the ticket, a guide will also accomopany you.

The counter is 4-5 kms before the base of the peak (you will be stopped there anyway for taking ticket and only after that you can proceed). Also keep in mind extremely bad roads for 5 kms till the base of the peak.

The forest dept. is right at the foot of the hill. The trek will take around 4 5 hrs, again that depends on ur stamina as the climb is pretty steep. Plan accordingly