Trekking in Karnataka costs 180 INR/km

Karnataka Govt had setup "My Eco Trip" to make money from trekking enthusiasts. While auto costs 15 Rs per km, Ola Mini costs about 10 INR per km, those looking to trek in Karnataka's nature spots are required to pay up to 180 INR per km. That is 18 times more the taxi cost just to use your legs and energy.

Above: Pay 180 Rs per km to trek to Rani Jhari, camera not allowed

Decades ago we were lucky to trek several destinations like Skandagiri, Devarayana Durga etc without having to pay hefty fee. Sometime in 2019 MyEcoTrip was launched and a few trekking destinations like Makalidurga, Skandagiri etc were added at a fee of 100 Rs per person. Those who wish to trek to these destinations need to register online and pay. There used to be a daily limit as to how many people can trek a destination- like 100 or 300 people.

There were some benefits from this program for the Govt- it generates easy money for Govt without having to do anything. People will trek using their own legs- no need to provide any road or help, just collect money. It would also keep a tab on who and how many people are visiting a destination. Money collected could have been used for local development/infrastructure but don't think that is happening.

For the amount Govt was collecting, some basic infra could have been provided- toilet facilities at the entry point, first aid, proper roads and signage etc. But no, don't expect such improvements.

Over time more and more spots are being added into myecotrip and controlled by them. Devarayanadurga, Savanadurga, Antaragange, Kaiwarabetta and more.

Scheme is expanded to western ghats and other tourist places as well- Rani Jhari, Bandaje, Ballalarayana Durga etc now controlled via My Eco trip.

And recently I noticed that the Karnataka Govt has increased the fee from 100 INR to 250 INR per person. Petrol price is already over the roof, now to walk also we've to pay 3x more. A mere 1.4 km trek to Rani Jhari costs 180 INR per km. 250 INR for 3-4 kms trek = 80 Rs per km! more expensive than hiring a tempo traveler!. This cost doesn't include camera fee. Myecotrip T&C says photo and video not allowed- clever strategy to charge extra for camera during trek start.

Karnataka Govt has already increased entry fee and camera fee. It costs 100 Rs per person now to visit various waterfalls (Belkal Theertha, Kudlu etc) and camera fees are crazy 300 for normal, 500 INR for lens upto 200 mm and a massive 1000 INR for camera lens exceeding 200 mm.

Of course a Government has to milk its citizens to extract revenue- but the question is what price is fair and what price feels like extortion. If cost of entry is too much people will stop or reduce visiting.

Another thing to check is what service/improvement govt is providing after collecting so much money.

Will you give good roads? No. Roads are some other department- forest department doesn't share its revenue with PWD and we can't expect good roads to tourist places. At many places we've to spend 500-1000 Rs to hire a 4x4 jeep because roads are not good for normal cars.

• Will you give basic facilities- toilet, safe parking place, drinking water, first aid? No
• Will you give clear information online if a place is open, how is road condition, timing etc? No.

I think price hike is triggered by Govt's greed to make more money from helpless tourists and milk the max of Bengaluru people looking for weekend destinations. If Govt feels everyone is comfortable paying 250, it will be hiked to 500 by 2023.

At least Govt could have increased price only for complex treks. 3-4 km treks could be charged  less than 20 INR, complex 10-12 km trek could be charged more with service of a guide and additional support system like first aid, water etc

There are so many less popular hills, waterfalls, viewpoints in Karnataka that are not ticketed. I will focus on exploring these random places more and more, reduce spending on ticketed places.

Bottom-line: Explore Karnataka as much as possible before Govt starts charging for everything.

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