Tadiyandamol Trek Guide: Route, Nalknad Palace, Permit Status and Best Time

The peak sits in Madikeri taluk, about 35 km from Madikeri town and about 25 km from Virajpet, and it is the third highest summit in Karnataka after Mullayanagiri and Kudremukh. The climb is a long day rather than a technical one: sustained uphill through shola forest and grassland, two stream crossings, a boulder section and a steep last stretch. Fit first-timers can do it; sedentary ones will find it hard. If you want a shorter outing on the same side of Kodagu, the palace walk alone is a pleasant half day.

Distances and timings below come from several trekking write-ups and sometimes disagree, so we show ranges and say where the sources differ. Fees and rules change; treat every figure as a guide and confirm on the official portal. For the wider picture, see our treks in Karnataka list and the Coorg 3-day itinerary.

Treat this as the most important section on the page, because the answer has changed from year to year and sources conflict. Here is what we found, with dates.

• Normal seasonal pattern. Trekking guides describe the trek as open from about September to March, with a ban on trekking from roughly April to June because of forest-fire risk, and heavy monsoon rain making July and August a poor choice.
• Online booking. Karnataka’s forest department runs a trek booking portal called Aranya Vihaara. When it launched in October 2024 it listed five trails and said it would grow to 18. Trekking guides say Tadiyandamol is listed under Kodagu. Booking needs a government ID for every trekker, and a single login books for a limited number of people.
• July 2026 SOP. A trekking SOP reported on 4 July 2026 requires online registration, a guide for every batch of 10 trekkers, and bans flash photography and single-use plastic. The Kudremukh Wildlife Division was the first to implement it. We could not confirm that it has been applied to Kodagu’s trails.
• Reopening, route by route. A report from 30 August 2026 says trails are being reopened one at a time after route-wise assessments, with daily entry limits and temporary closures when tigers, leopards, elephants or bears are detected.
• One 2026 listing says closed. A permit-guide article lists Tadiyandamol as closed, with fee, daily cap and slots marked unavailable as of June 2026. That is a single source and may be out of date by now.

What to do: open the Aranya Vihaara portal (aranyavihaara.karnataka.gov.in) and search Kodagu for the trek and your date. If a slot shows, book it, download the permit and carry the original ID you booked with. If it does not, do not drive to Kakkabe hoping for a walk-in; check back, or pick another trail from our trek list. Our Kumara Parvatha and Kudremukh guides cover the other regulated Western Ghats treks.

Reported trail length varies by source: about 11 km one way from Kakkabe bridge, about 13 to 15 km round trip from Nalknad Palace, and about 8 km round trip if you start from the forest checkpost. The difference is mostly where the writer starts counting. The table uses one trekking site’s stage timings, which match the other write-ups on the order of the landmarks. Add time for rests and photos.

A realistic clock

One trekking site suggests leaving the palace by 8 am, reaching Boulder Point by 10:30 to 11 am and the summit by 12:30 to 1 pm, and starting down by 1:30 pm. The same source puts you back at Kakkabe at 5 to 5:30 pm, just before the last local buses. Another write-up says the descent to the palace takes about 3 hours and urges you to be heading down by 2 pm at the latest. Forest staff are reported to stop upward entry past the checkpost around 2:30 pm, although one reference page says entry closes at 5 pm. Plan to the earlier time.

How hard is it?

Moderate. The climbing is steady rather than scrambly, but the last section is steep and slippery after rain, and the whole day is 7 to 8 hours on your feet. Poles help on the second forest patch. Follow the orange ribbons tied to trees when the trail forks, because mist can cut visibility sharply. In bad weather stay with your group and turn back; the peak is not worth a night out on the ridge.

What the summit gives you

On a clear morning you see the Kodagu ridges, and one write-up says the Arabian Sea is visible in very clear weather. December to February gives the clearest views. In the post-monsoon months the grassland is at its greenest but cloud often sits on the top by midday.

Bengaluru~272 kmMadikeri~35 kmVirajpet~25 kmNearest railMysuru

Kakkabe is a small village in southern Kodagu with no railway station; the railhead most visitors use is Mysuru, from where you continue by road through Virajpet or Madikeri. By car from Bengaluru the usual route is the Bengaluru–Mysuru road and then Kodagu, about 5 to 6 hours to the base area. Leave early so you do not start the walk late; our Coorg itinerary has the Mysuru–Madikeri drive in detail.

By bus from Bengaluru

Trekking guides suggest a late-night KSRTC bus from Bengaluru’s Satellite Bus Stand, around 11:30 pm, reaching Virajpet at about 5 am. Check the current schedule and fare on the KSRTC site before you plan around it. From Virajpet a local bus toward Bhagamandala drops you at Kakkabe; trekking sites quote the fare as ₹60 to ₹80. A taxi is about ₹900 and an auto about ₹450, according to one guide.

From Kakkabe to the palace

The palace is a 1.5 hour road walk, or an auto at about ₹400, or a jeep at about ₹750 to ₹800 shared among your group. Parking near the palace is unmonitored, so do not block the lane. The last local buses leave Kakkabe at about 5:45 pm for Bhagamandala and about 6 pm for Virajpet, which is why a late descent can strand you.

Coming from the coast

Mangaluru is the nearest major city on the other side of the ghats. We have not verified a bus timetable for that route, so ask at the Mangaluru KSRTC counter or plan via Madikeri. See also the Talacauvery and Bhagamandala guide, since the Bhagamandala bus passes through Kakkabe.

Nalknad Palace (also written Nalaknad or Nalnad Aramane) is a two-storeyed building put up around 1792 to 1794 by Dodda Veerarajendra, the Kodagu king, as a base after he withdrew to the forest during the wars with Tipu Sultan. It later became the last refuge of his successor Chikka Veerarajendra before the British deposed him. Sources differ on which of the two kings built it; most, including the Deccan Herald and Wikipedia, name Dodda Veerarajendra.

It is a protected monument under Karnataka’s Department of Archaeology and Museums, and INTACH carried out a renovation. A caretaker looks after the building. Wall paintings survive in places, but visitors have damaged others by scratching names, so do not touch or write on the walls. We could not find an official opening time or ticket price, so treat the palace as an unstaffed heritage stop and ask the caretaker. It is roughly 3.5 to 5.5 km from Kakkabe depending on the source.

Even if the peak is closed, the walk to the palace through coffee and forest is a worthwhile half day, and it fits well alongside the Abbey Falls and Madikeri and Dubare stops.

Sources disagree at the edges: one reference page says late July to September is best for greenery, another says October to February. The pattern in the table follows the majority of trekking operators and the usual fire-season closure. For the state-wide picture see best time to visit Karnataka and Karnataka in winter.

The forest entry fee is small; transport and stay are where the money goes. Figures below are as reported by trekking guides and a Deccan Herald piece, none of them from the 2026 portal, so expect changes. The portal states the current fee by age group when you book.

Rules you will meet

• Camping on the peak has been banned since 2016, after wildlife sightings. Plan the climb as a day hike.
• Carry the original government ID used for booking; the portal does not accept all IDs, so check its list.
• No plastic waste. Forest staff may confiscate plastic and liquor at the checkpost.
• Stay on the marked path. The July 2026 SOP threatens legal action and blacklisting for trekkers and guides who stray.

What to carry

• At least 2 litres of water, since the last refill is near the base, plus snacks. Only a few small eateries operate in Kakkabe.
• Shoes with grip, socks that cover your ankles or leech gaiters, and a rain layer.
• A headlamp, power bank, a downloaded offline map and cash. Mobile networks are patchy.

Common mistakes

• Starting after 9 am. You then meet the cloud, and the checkpost cutoff, on the way up.
• Missing the last bus because the descent ran long.
• Attempting it in July or August without leech protection.
• Leaving the ribbon-marked path in mist.
• Arriving without a booking when slots are limited.