TREKS · 1-DAY · MODERATE · MAX 2100M
Chembra Peak Trek (Heart Lake).

Chembra Peak Trek (Heart Lake)
Wayanad's signature trek. Forest dept gates the trail — only 200 trekkers per day, only Sat-Sun-Mon (closed Tue-Fri for forest recovery), permit required at Meppadi range office. The famous heart-shaped Hridayasaras Lake at 1,950m is the iconic photo stop; locals say it never dries. Final summit push to 2,100m is exposed grass-shola — short but steep. Closed Jul-Sep for monsoon.
Warnings
⚠Permit cap (200/day) fills by 9am on weekends — be at Meppadi forest office by 7:30am
⚠Closed Tue-Fri (forest recovery rotation) and Jul-Sep (monsoon)
⚠Heart Lake water is NOT for drinking (sacred + traditional ban)
⚠Final summit grass-slope is steep + exposed — no shade, no water
Cost Estimate
Per-person day trek incl. forest permit + Bangalore/Kochi → Meppadi taxi share + post-trek lunch. Closed monsoon Jul-Sep.
ALSO ON NAKSHIQ
Eight more rooms in the magazine.
Guides
Visa, scams, food, packing.
Everything the guidebook won't tell you — written for India in 2026.
Blog
Field notes from the road.
Long-form reads on regions, festivals, and the offbeat circuit.
Road trips
Curated multi-day routes.
Driving itineraries with day-by-day stops, distance, and difficulty.
Collections
Themed reading lists.
Wettest places. Sacred lakes. Solo-female-safe. Curated cuts.
NakshIQ 100
The 100 best destination-months.
India's highest-scoring places, ranked across all 12 months.
The Window
Our weekly newsletter, archived.
One honest spread, every Sunday. The full back catalogue.
Skip list
What we'd skip — and what we'd do instead.
Overhyped places with honest alternatives.
First trip
Planning your first time in India.
Safety, scams, what to wear, food survival, solo female travel.