This Thiruvananthapuram Trekking Group Ties Community Building to Outdoor Adventure

Thiruvananthapuram, September 2025 — What started as a small group of trekking enthusiasts in Thiruvananthapuram in late 2020 has grown into something much bigger — a movement that connects outdoor exploration with community support, environmental activism, and social outreach. The group, known as ITREK, has made its mark not just on hilltops and forest trails, but also in tribal villages and forest settlements. 

From Trails to Tribal Care

Founder Suresh Sam Chandy says the vision was simple: “We trek to explore nature, and we trek to give back.” Starting from local hikes around Agasthyakoodam and Ponmudi, ITREK has gone on to organize treks at Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Vagamon, among other locations.

At PTR, the group’s support for forest guides and tribal forest communities became a focal point of its conservation ethos. ITREK raised funds for a forest guide battling cancer, provided housing aid to another community member in Ponmudi, and distributed school kits to children at the Puravimala Government Tribal LP School near Amboori.

Building Bonds and Breaking Barriers

Today, ITREK boasts over 500 members aged 18 to 75 — from students and professionals to retirees — and it prides itself on being inclusive and multi-generational. .The treks themselves are seen not only as physical challenges but as opportunities to forge deeper social connections, raise awareness about environmental issues, and engage with residents of remote forest regions in meaningful ways.

One member, 75-year-old retired banker Veeramoni Sankaranarayan, says the group gives him purpose: “Trekking is how I express gratitude to forest communities for their role in conservation. Meanwhile, IT professional Renjusha Varma cites her experience with ITREK as encouragement to undertake even more ambitious treks, including in the Himalayas.

Looking Ahead: Trash Treks and Eco-Awareness

Looking to the future, ITREK is planning a “trash trek” at Kurisumala, a pilgrimage hill near Vellarada, with the aim of clearing plastic waste and other litter in cooperation with the local panchayat. Previous treks to Kurisumala revealed alarming amounts of plastic debris along the trails.

Chandy hopes such treks will reinforce the idea that “every trek should leave nature better than we found it,” and that community outreach must be woven into the trekking experience.