Bangalore to Mangalore Ertiga cab — fare breakdown and the road
| Distance | 350 km |
|---|---|
| Drive time | 6h 30m off-peak · up to 7h 30m at busy times |
| One way, from | ₹7,770 incl. GST |
| Round trip, from | ₹14,490 incl. GST |
| Highway | NH75 via Hassan and the Shiradi ghat |
| Best departure | Leave by 5am; the Shiradi ghat section is slow and best in daylight |
How that fare is built
| Item | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|
| Chargeable distance | 350 km | 700 km |
| Rate per km | ₹20 | ₹19 |
| Distance cost | ₹7,000 | ₹13,300 |
| Driver bata | ₹400 | ₹500 |
| Toll and parking | At actuals, with receipts — quoted on the call | |
| Sub-total | ₹7,400 | ₹13,800 |
| GST at 5% | ₹370 | ₹690 |
| Total, from | ₹7,770 | ₹14,490 |
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.
Off the plateau and down to the sea
Bangalore to Mangalore is a journey between two quite different Karnatakas: the dry Deccan plateau and the wet, green, coastal Tulu country. The road between them has to get off the plateau, and that descent is the entire character of this drive.
The route runs on the NH75 through Hassan and then down the Shiradi ghat — a long mountain section dropping through the Western Ghats to the coastal plain. In good weather it is a fine piece of road. In heavy monsoon it is slow, and this stretch has a history of landslide closures.
So our drivers check the ghat’s condition before setting out, and we plan to be on it in daylight. This is the one route in our network where we will actively discourage an overnight departure — a rain-slicked mountain descent in the dark is not where anyone should be saving two hours.
Stops that are actually on the way
Two significant temples sit close to this road, and a good number of passengers book the route specifically for them:
Dharmasthala, with its Manjunatha temple and its long tradition of free lodging and food for pilgrims, and Kukke Subramanya, in the forested hills nearby.
Neither is a detour worth agonising over — say at booking and they slot in.
What is at Mangalore
Mangalore is a port city with a character of its own — Tulu, Konkani and Beary alongside Kannada, tiled roofs, and food that is quite unlike inland Karnataka. The fish is the reason many people come, and the local ghee roast and neer dosa are worth planning meals around.
Panambur and Tannirbhavi are the accessible beaches. Kadri Manjunath temple sits above the town with bronze figures of real age. St Aloysius chapel is covered inside with painted frescoes that nobody expects.
It is also the gateway to Udupi, Murudeshwar and the coastal run north, which is why a share of these bookings continue rather than return.
Why this route suits an Ertiga
Six and a half hours including a long ghat descent, with luggage. The soft ride is genuinely welcome on the broken sections of the ghat, and the car is easier to place on a narrow wet bend than something wider. For four or five people this is a good fit. For six adults over that distance and that descent, we would size up.
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 Mangalore 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 Mangalore — FAQs
What is the Shiradi ghat and why does it matter?
It is the mountain section where the road drops off the Deccan plateau to the coast, and it is the part of this journey that varies. In heavy monsoon it can be slow, and landslides have closed it in the past. Our drivers check the position before departure rather than discovering it on the way down.
How long is the drive?
Around six and a half hours in good conditions. Add time in the monsoon, and add more if the ghat is running single-file. Treat it as a full day.
Is a permit needed?
No. Mangalore is in Karnataka, so no interstate permit applies.
Should we travel overnight?
We would rather you did not. The ghat descent in darkness and rain is the one stretch on our network where we actively prefer daylight, and an early morning start gets you down it in good light.
Is it worth stopping at Dharmasthala or Kukke Subramanya?
Both are close to this route and both are significant temples that many travellers specifically want. Say at booking and the driver builds them in — they are natural stops rather than detours.