Permits, Guides and Route Rules, in Full
Everything the forest department and the railway require before you set foot on either route, listed here rather than explained on the day.
What Each Permit Covers
Forest entry costs ₹50 per person on the jeep track, built into the ₹2,600 group rate. The railway-track permit requires a registered guide, a copy of your ID, and is capped at twenty trekkers a day under the line’s safety rules.
Route Rules, Side by Side
On the Railway Line
Trains still run this line twice a day. Guides radio ahead before each crossing and move the group to a marked refuge point until the line is clear — no headphones, no exceptions.
On the Jeep Track
Only licensed forest-department drivers take the jeep track — no self-drive, no exceptions for experienced off-roaders. During peak monsoon weeks the queue is capped at forty jeeps a day to limit erosion on the track.
When We Turn Trips Away
We stop the jeep safari once the flow gauge at Kulem passes red-alert level, and the forest department closes both routes outright in the heaviest week of July most years. Refunds are automatic, no argument needed.