Chembra Peak Entry Fee 2026: Trekking Ticket Price, Rules and Booking

If you have seen Rs 20, Rs 30 or "Rs 750 for a group of 10" elsewhere, including on older versions of this page, that is the pre-2019 Kerala Tourism tariff. It no longer applies. The figures below come from the Kerala Forest Department's own booking record for Chembra, cross-checked against the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) Wayanad fare card.

Chembra Peak Entry Fee and Ticket Price 2026

The Forest Department prices the Chembra trek per head. DTPC Wayanad prints the same tariff as a five-person group rate plus a per-person top-up, which is why some sites say Rs 800 and others say Rs 4,000. They are the same fee. The table shows both ways of reading it.

Chembra Peak ticket price 2026, per person and per group

Sources: the Kerala Forest Department ecotourism portal booking record for "Chembra Peak Trekking" and the DTPC Wayanad Chembra Peak page, both re-checked on 14 October 2026. Fees change without much notice, so call the Chembra counter on 8547602689 before you drive up.

What the Chembra Trek Costs for 1, 2, 4, 5 or 10 People

Because the fee is per head but a trek needs five walkers, what you pay depends on who you turn up with. Most trekkers who arrive alone or as a couple join another small group in the queue, and everyone pays only for their own seat.

Add Rs 53 for each still camera and Rs 301 for a video camera. If the counter is quiet and nobody is around to pool with, ask the staff whether your group can pay the five-person rate of Rs 4,000 and go, or wait for the next arrivals. On a December weekend you will fill a group within minutes. On a wet weekday in June you may not.

Chembra usually takes half a day, so it fits into almost any Wayanad plan. Our Wayanad tour packages can put a Meppadi-side stay on the night before, which is the easiest way to be at the counter early. Couples can add it to a Wayanad honeymoon package, and families to one of our Wayanad family packages. The trek fee is paid at the counter unless your package lists it as an inclusion.

What Your Chembra Peak Ticket Covers

Your Rs 800 buys a guided walk from the trek start point to Hridaya Saras, the heart-shaped lake that is the reason most people climb Chembra. The trail climbs through tea estate, a short band of shola forest and then open grassland. Chembra itself rises to 2,100 m, the highest point in Wayanad.

The ticket does not take you to the summit. DTPC Wayanad notes that the stretch from the lake to the peak has been closed because of wildlife movement, and guides turn groups around at the lake. Pages that still describe a summit push are out of date.

Plan for about 3 to 4 hours from the start point to the lake and back at an easy pace. The start point is not at the ticket counter. It lies further up a narrow estate road beyond the watchtower parking, and you either drive, walk it or take one of the local jeeps that wait near the watchtower. Those jeeps are private, not Forest Department, so there is no fixed Chembra Peak jeep safari price. Agree the fare before you get in.

Plastic is strictly prohibited under the Forest Department's rules, so carry water in a steel or reusable bottle.

How to Book Chembra Peak Trek Tickets

There are two ways to get a Chembra trek ticket. The Forest Department portal has an online booking option, and the Chembra VSS counter sells tickets on the day. As of 14 October 2026 the portal shows online booking temporarily unavailable for Chembra, so for now every ticket is sold at the counter. Check the portal the week you travel, because the online option does come back.

When online booking is open:

1. Go to ecotourism.forest.kerala.gov.in, choose Wayanad and then Chembra Peak Trekking.

2. Pick your date. Bookings open up to 20 days ahead.

3. Add travellers. One booking takes a maximum of 10 tickets, and students must upload the principal's letter as a single PDF.

4. Pay online and save the confirmation.

5. Reach the Chembra counter between 7 and 9 AM on your trek day with the same photo ID used to book.

6. Show the confirmation to have it verified and collect the printed ticket. The trek will not start on a phone screenshot alone.

7. Arrive on time. Online tickets not claimed by 9 AM are released to people waiting at the counter.

Buying at the counter. Join the queue at the Chembra VSS counter, give your names, and pay in cash when the ticket window opens at 7 AM. Camera fees are paid here in both cases, since they cannot be bought online. The counter keeps selling until 12 noon or until the day's quota runs out, whichever comes first.

Chembra Peak Timings and the Daily Ticket Limit

Trek permits are issued from 7 AM to 12 noon, and DTPC lists the visit area as open until 3 PM. Online-ticket holders must check in between 7 and 9 AM. For the full slot-by-slot breakdown, see our Chembra Peak timings page.

The number of trekkers is capped every day. DTPC lists 88 trekkers a day, and the Forest portal sets aside 44 of those for online booking when it is live. In practice the queue decides everything. Trekkers who went in late 2025 report that staff start writing names on a token list from about 5 AM, and on long weekends that list has filled before 6 AM. On an ordinary weekday, arriving by 7 is usually enough.

Student, Child and Foreigner Rules

The Rs 200 student fare comes with conditions, and the counter checks them.

• At least five students, travelling with a teacher or staff member on an official visit.

• A request letter from the principal, addressed to Chembra Ecotourism, with the date of visit, the list of students and their phone numbers, the principal's signature and the institution's seal.

• For online booking, that letter goes up as one PDF. Bring the original hard copy too.

• A valid student ID card for every student.

• No student concession on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays. On those days students pay Rs 800.

Children under 10 trek free. The climb to the lake is steep and slippery in places, so it suits children who already walk a few kilometres without being carried. Foreign nationals pay Rs 1,600 and should carry their original passport. Tickets are not transferable, so the names on the booking must match the people at the counter.

Is Chembra Peak Open Now? Red-Alert and Monsoon Closures

Chembra is open daily in fair weather. The Forest Department closes the eco-tourism centre whenever the Wayanad district administration issues a red alert, and that happens most often during the south-west monsoon from June to August. The trail also turns to slick mud in heavy rain, and leeches are common from June to September.

Call 8547602689 on the morning you plan to go if there has been rain overnight. October to February brings dry trails, cool mornings and the clearest views from the lake. See our guide to the best time to visit Wayanad for the month-by-month picture. If Chembra is shut on your day, the Kalladi forest trek is a shorter walk in the same district, and our round-up of treks in Kerala has more options.

Getting to the Chembra Ticket Counter

The Chembra VSS counter is a few kilometres uphill from Meppadi town and about 17 km from Kalpetta, the district headquarters. From Kalpetta, KSRTC and private buses run to Meppadi, and autos and jeeps go from Meppadi up to the counter. With your own car or bike you can drive to the counter and on to the watchtower parking. Our page on how to reach Chembra Peak has routes from Kozhikode, Bengaluru and Mysuru.

Money-Saving Tips for the Chembra Trek

• Go on a weekday. Queues are short and students get the Rs 200 fare.

• Pool with others at the counter instead of paying for empty places in a group of five.

• Leave the video camera behind unless you really need it. At Rs 301 it costs more than a third of an adult trek ticket.

• Share one jeep between two small groups for the ride from the watchtower to the start point.

• Carry snacks and water from Meppadi. There are no shops on the trail, and plastic packaging is not allowed past the counter.

Before you set off, read our Chembra trek tips and the longer Chembra Peak trek guide for what to wear and how the trail feels section by section. Chembra pairs well with other stops on the Meppadi side, such as Soochipara Falls and the 900 Kandi viewpoint, and our list of places to visit in Wayanad covers the rest.

Edited by TravelTriangle