Chembra Peak

Chembra Peak is the highest summit in the Wayanad hills of Kerala at about 2,100 metres, rising green and steep from the tea estates of the Western Ghats. A much-photographed heart-shaped lake sits partway up the ridge, and local lore holds that it never dries out.

Its character is lush and tropical rather than alpine: shola forest, rolling grassland and cardamom-scented slopes, with mist pouring over the ridgelines and views across the plateau to the plains of Tamil Nadu. It is a day walk that feels wilder than its modest altitude suggests.

On the trail the climb is a steep half-day to full-day trek from the forest checkpost near Meppadi, up grassy spurs past the heart-shaped lake toward the summit ridge. Graded moderate, it needs no technical skill but the exposed grass slopes are slippery when wet and unforgivingly hot and sun-struck by midday.

Practical notes: entry is controlled by the Kerala forest department, which caps daily numbers and requires a permit and often a guide from Meppadi; access to the very summit is sometimes restricted for fire risk. September to May is the walkable season, with the post-monsoon months greenest; the trail closes during heavy monsoon and in dry-season fire-alert periods.