40 'safe' routes to be opened for trekking in TN by July-end

TREKKING enthusiasts may soon get a taste of the beautiful natural landscapes of Tamil Nadu as the government is all set to open 40 'safe' trekking routes falling in 15 forest divisions for public bookings by July end, if all goes according to plan.

- SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA

This comes six years after the 2018 Kurangani hills forest fire which led to the death of 23 trekkers. After the tragedy, the government had shut down all the trekking routes. Though trekking rules were subsequently notified, the activity never took off partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the forest department has now decided to allow trekking and prepared an atlas containing 40 trek routes. It is proposed to establish basic facilities on all the routes at a cost of 4 crore. TNIE has accessed the list of the approved trails, which are a mix of easy, moderate and tough treks.