Bengaluru's Green Gems Captivate Visitors with Guided Nature Tours

As of October 2025, guided walking tours in Cubbon Park (Sri Chamarajendra Park) have been drawing hundreds of visitors for nearly three months. The tours, introduced by the horticulture department, aim to educate visitors about Bengaluru's green heritage. However, plans to launch a similar initiative in Lalbagh Botanical Garden have been delayed indefinitely due to a shortage of trained naturalists to conduct the walks.

Earlier this year, the department decided to organize weekend walks in the city's lung spaces to teach visitors about their history, flora, and fauna. The Cubbon Park Nature Walks, launched in July in collaboration with The Naturalist School and Bangalore Walks, have been held every weekend in both English and Kannada.

While the Cubbon Park tours have been a success, generating around Rs 1.8 lakh in revenue from 38 tours, the Lalbagh programme has been delayed. According to the joint director (Parks & Gardens) of the horticulture department, only four naturalists are currently available, and they are already engaged in conducting the Cubbon Park walks. The department is not planning to involve other organizations at this point, as sourcing qualified guides is a challenge.

However, Arun Pai from Bangalore Walks disagrees, stating that there is no shortage of naturalists. He says the Lalbagh tour is delayed not due to a lack of guides but because they want to first complete a three-month review of the Cubbon Park tours before expanding.