The road up from Panathady ends at a counter, and the counter is the whole difference between this hill and the forest on the other side of the ridge. There is a window, a printed tariff, a man who sells you a ticket, and a toilet — which sounds like nothing until you have been somewhere in these hills that has none of them.
The tariff
An adult pays ₹50. An Indian child under fifteen pays ₹20, and so does a student. A foreign visitor pays ₹150, and the register makes no distinction at all between a foreign adult and a foreign child — both are charged the same ₹150, which is worth knowing before you arrive with a family. A still camera is ₹50 and a video camera is ₹50. If you drive in there is a charge on the vehicle as well: ₹10 for a two-wheeler, ₹30 for a three- or four-wheeler, ₹60 for a medium vehicle and ₹100 for a heavy one.
The clock
Entry is between eight in the morning and three in the afternoon, and every visitor is returned from the forest before half past five. Those two times do different jobs and both are the department’s own: three o’clock is the last moment you can go in, and half past five is when the hill is empty. A party arriving at half past two is being sold a walk it will have to hurry.
You cannot book it
Online booking for this programme is switched off. There is no seat to reserve and no confirmation to print; you drive up and you pay at the window. What makes that workable is the ceiling, which is unusually high — the department will issue up to 998 tickets here in a day. Being turned away for want of a ticket is not a realistic worry at Ranipuram, and that is genuinely rare among Kerala’s ticketed forest walks.
- Take cash. The window is the only place to pay and there is nothing to buy past it.
- The counter number is 8547602605 — ring it if the weather has been bad, because the hill closes at short notice.
- Arrive by one at the latest if you want the walk rather than a march.
- The toilet at the counter is the last one.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the entry fee for the Ranipuram trek?
₹50 for an adult, ₹20 for an Indian child under fifteen and ₹20 for students. Foreign visitors pay ₹150, adults and children alike. A camera, still or video, is ₹50.
What are the timings at Ranipuram?
The gate admits visitors from 8 am until 3 pm, and everyone is brought out of the forest before 5.30 pm.
Can I book the Ranipuram trek online?
No. Online booking for this programme is switched off, so the ticket is bought at the counter on the day. The department can issue up to 998 tickets a day here, so it is rarely a problem.