Bangalore to Bandipur Ertiga cab — fare breakdown and the road
| Distance | 220 km |
|---|---|
| Drive time | 4h 30m off-peak · up to 5h 15m at busy times |
| One way, from | ₹5,040 incl. GST |
| Round trip, from | ₹9,303 incl. GST |
| Highway | NH275 via Mysore, then NH766 via Gundlupet |
| Best departure | Leave by 4am for the morning safari, or midday for the afternoon |
How that fare is built
| Item | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|
| Chargeable distance | 220 km | 440 km |
| Rate per km | ₹20 | ₹19 |
| Distance cost | ₹4,400 | ₹8,360 |
| Driver bata | ₹400 | ₹500 |
| Toll and parking | At actuals, with receipts — quoted on the call | |
| Sub-total | ₹4,800 | ₹8,860 |
| GST at 5% | ₹240 | ₹443 |
| Total, from | ₹5,040 | ₹9,303 |
One way is charged for your direction plus the minimum distance. A round trip charges both legs with the daily minimum applied — which is why the one-way total is lower even at a higher per-km rate. Prefer a single agreed figure with toll and permit folded in? Ask for an all-inclusive quote.
The route with no slack
Bandipur’s safaris run in fixed morning and afternoon slots, and the gate does not care how far you have come.
From Mysore the reserve is two hours away and a morning slot is easy. From Bangalore it is four and a half, which means leaving around four in the morning to make the same slot — with no margin for a slow city exit, a diversion, or anything else.
We will do it. We would rather you did it differently.
What we actually recommend
Split it at Mysore. Mysore sits halfway, it is worth a day on its own, and from there Bandipur is a relaxed two-hour run for either safari slot. A great many of our Bandipur bookings from Bangalore are really Bangalore–Mysore–Bandipur for exactly this reason, and it costs a night rather than a missed safari.
If you must go straight through, the afternoon slot is the realistic target from Bangalore. Leave mid-morning, arrive for lunch, and take the afternoon drive without having got up at half three.
Two things worth being clear about
The safari is not in our car. Nobody’s private vehicle goes inside the reserve — drives are in the forest department’s own jeeps from the gate. We take you there, wait the two or three hours, and bring you home. Anyone offering to drive you through the park is offering something that does not exist.
Crossing the reserve on the highway is not a safari. The main road passes through Bandipur and you may well see elephant, gaur or deer from it. But you cannot stop, you cannot linger, and it is a different experience from going in with a guide. Worth knowing before you decide the drive was enough.
The overnight closure of that highway also applies, and it affects any onward journey toward Ooty or Wayanad.
What you might see
Bandipur is part of the largest contiguous protected area in southern India, joined to Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Wayanad. Tigers are present and rarely seen. Elephant is the realistic and often spectacular sighting, along with gaur, sambar, chital, langur and, with luck, dhole. The birdlife is very good.
Why this route suits an Ertiga
Four and a half hours out, a wait of two or three hours at the gate, and four and a half back — usually in one day, and usually starting in the dark. Six seats and a quiet cabin matter; luggage does not, because almost nobody stays. If you are doing it in a single day, the third row over nine hours of total driving is a genuine imposition and the Mysore split solves that too.
Still coming to this page: named toll plazas and amounts, named break stops. Those come from our own drivers rather than from a map, and we would rather leave them off than print a figure we have not checked. Ask on the call and we will tell you the toll for this route.
All bookings include a professional driver. We do not offer self-drive rentals.
Booking this route
We drive Bandipur to Bangalore as well, at the same rate — the fare depends on the distance and the direction of travel, not on which end you start from. There is one page for both directions rather than two pages saying the same thing.
Related routes
Bangalore to Bandipur — FAQs
Can we make the morning safari from Bangalore?
Only with a very early start — around four. It is four and a half hours and the gate does not wait. Honestly, the afternoon safari is the more realistic target from Bangalore, or you stay the night before near the reserve.
Would it be better to go via Mysore and stay a night?
Considerably, and it is what we usually suggest. Mysore is halfway, worth a day in itself, and from there Bandipur is a two-hour run — which turns a race against a gate into a comfortable morning.
Is a permit needed?
No. Bandipur is in Karnataka.
Can we do the safari in your car?
No, and no private operator can. Safaris inside the reserve run in the forest department's own vehicles. We bring you to the gate, wait, and take you back.
Is driving through the reserve the same as a safari?
No. The highway crosses the reserve so you may see animals from the road, but you cannot stop and it is not a substitute for going into the interior with a guide.