The Kudremukh Wildlife Division has become the first in Karnataka to implement the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for trekking introduced by the State Forest Department, with the new protocol now enforced across four of the eight reopened trekking routes.
Following the SOP rollout by the Karnataka Forest Department, trekking has resumed in eight of the 16 designated trails under the division, which is headquartered in Karkala in Udupi district. The division spans three protected areas, Kudremukh National Park, Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary and Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, spread across Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts.
The reopened trails include Netravathi, Kudremukh, Kurinjal, Gangadikal, Kodachadri (two routes), and Narasimha Parvatha (two routes). Officials said the SOP has been implemented in the first four trails where trekking has restarted.
The guidelines were issued after a trekker from Kerala went missing in the Tadiandamol forest area in Kodagu district.
The SOP mandates online registration for trekkers, compulsory guides for every batch of 10 trekkers, and installation of a mobile application providing route maps. It also includes provisions for separate toilet facilities for men and women, drinking water at base camps, signboards and directional markings along trails, and designated rest points.
Restrictions under the SOP include a ban on flash photography and single-use plastic within trekking zones.
Each guide assigned to a group of 10 trekkers will be equipped with GPS-enabled walkie-talkies, first aid kits, topographic maps, navigation tools such as GPS devices or offline mobile maps, emergency whistles, and torches with spare batteries. They will also carry emergency contact lists.
Guides are required to conduct pre-trek safety briefings, maintain headcounts at base camps and rest points, and stay in communication with base camps every 30 minutes. They are also instructed to ensure trekkers do not deviate from designated trails.