BENGALURU: Starting July 27, Bengalureans can go for a 90-minute guided walk through Cubbon Park every weekend. Called Cubbon Walks, the tour will delve into the lesser-known ecological life of the park — from stories about ants and spiders to reptiles, birds and flowers that bloom across seasons, apart from the park’s history and its wide range of trees and botanical species.
What makes these walks special is that each walk will begin from a different gate of Cubbon Park — sometimes from the Hudson Circle side, or the High Court gate, or from the BSNL office entrance. Officials said this is to ensure that even repeat participants discover new corners and stories of the park each time.
“Each group will be led by a retired expert with deep knowledge of Cubbon Park and supported by an officials from the department. People can start online bookings starting this Monday (July 21), and each walk will be limited to 30 participants. Tickets are priced at Rs 200 for adults and Rs 50 for children,” Kusuma G, Deputy Director of Horticulture Department, Cubbon Park, told TNIE, highlighting that the goal is to raise ecological awareness among citizens and help them appreciate the big lung space in the city.
The 90-minute tour will be conducted every Saturday and Sunday, starting at 7.30 am. Up to two batches will be accommodated during one slot and depending on demand, more batches will be allowed in the following hours.
The trained naturalists leading the walks will be equipped with microphones to explain the ecological layers of the park. Participants will be introduced to a variety of species and phenomena — from the ants that form long networks underground, to reptiles, seasonal flowers, rare trees, bird calls, and even urban wildlife conservation efforts.
This is being rolled out as part of the horticulture department’s effort to raise awareness about Bengaluru’s urban biodiversity and to reconnect people with one of its largest lung spaces. The model will be expanded to Lalbagh as well in August. Four trials for the same were conducted by the department recently to understand the routes better and plan the walk.