Home › Routes › Bangalore to Ooty
Routes · From Bengaluru
Bangalore to Ooty: Distance, Drive Time and Every Way to Get There
Ooty is about 296 km from Bengaluru by road: down the expressway to Mysuru, through the Bandipur and Mudumalai forests, and up the hills from Gudalur. Here is the distance, the drive time, what each way costs, the night closure that decides when you leave, and where to stop.
Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
Ooty is about 296 km from Bengaluru by road, roughly 4 hours of driving on a clear road (a routing estimate with no breaks; add time for traffic, the forest stretch and the climb). The road runs through the Bandipur and Mudumalai forests, which are closed to traffic from 9 pm to 6 am. By public transport the direct way is a state bus via Mysuru; we found no dated fare for the whole trip after Karnataka's November 2026 fare revision, so check the live fare (the Bengaluru–Mysuru leg alone is now ₹197, News Karnataka, 5 November 2026). The fastest way is to drive: petrol for a car comes to about ₹2,200 one way.
The Bengaluru–Ooty drive is two trips in one: an hour and a half of expressway to Mysuru, then a slow road through tiger reserves where elephants cross, and a climb into the Nilgiris. Time it around the forest closure.
How we worked it out. On 11 November 2026 we routed Bengaluru city centre to Ooty town with OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM) and checked the towns along the route line. Drive times are routing estimates for an empty road. Trip Under does not list Ooty itself (we cover less crowded places), so the season and daily costs below are for Kotagiri, 28 km from Ooty in the same hills. We give a price only where a dated source gives one.
Every way to get there
| Way | Route | Time | Cost (one way) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State bus (KSRTC or TNSTC) | Bengaluru → Mysuru → Bandipur → Gudalur → Ooty | check the timetable | check the live fare | Karnataka revised state bus fares from 4–5 November 2026. The Bengaluru–Mysuru fare went from ₹160 to ₹197 (News Karnataka, 5 Nov 2026); we found no dated fare for Mysuru–Ooty or the through bus. |
| Train + hill leg | Train to Coimbatore Jn, MEMU to Mettupalayam, then the Nilgiri Mountain Railway or a bus up | check the timetable | check the live fare; MEMU ₹10 | We found no dated Bengaluru–Coimbatore fare. The MEMU from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam is ₹10 unreserved (our Kotagiri page). A long way round: use it only if you want the toy train. |
| Own car | Expressway to Mysuru, NH766 to Gundlupet, NH181 via Bandipur and Gudalur | about 4 h free-flow | petrol about ₹2,200 | 296 km ÷ 15 km per litre (our assumption for a small petrol car) × ₹110.82 a litre, the Bengaluru price on 6 Nov 2026 (The Hans India). Tolls extra (the expressway is tolled): we could not reach NHAI's toll site to confirm the amounts. |
Nilgiris e-pass. Since 2024 the Madras High Court has required tourist vehicles entering the Nilgiris to carry an e-pass. In March 2025 it capped entries at 6,000 vehicles on weekdays and 8,000 at weekends, and said tourists arriving by bus or train are exempt (DT Next, 14 March 2025). We could not confirm the rules in force today: if you drive, check the Tamil Nadu e-pass portal (epass.tnega.org) before you leave.
Open the route in Google Maps for live traffic.
The road and where to stop
Infographic · the route
The usual road: Bengaluru to Ooty
Towns from the OSRM route line, 11 Nov 2026. Bandipur to Theppakadu is forest, closed 9 pm to 6 am.
OSRM takes the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway (NH275) past Ramanagara, Channapattana, Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatna to Mysuru, about 140 km. From there the NH766 runs south through Nanjangud to Gundlupet, and the NH181 crosses Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu at Theppakadu, reaches Gudalur, and climbs through Naduvattam to Ooty. It does not use the steep Kalhatti road from Masinagudi, where some vehicles are restricted (our Masinagudi page).
- Srirangapatna and Mysuru, 125–140 km from Bengaluru. The route passes within about 1–2 km of both. A palace lit by ninety-seven thousand bulbs on Sunday nights, a hill temple above the city, and Tipu Sultan's island fortress twenty minutes away. See our Mysuru and Srirangapatna page.
- Bandipur, about 215 km from Bengaluru. The highway runs right through the reserve. One of India's original Project Tiger reserves, straddling the highway between Mysuru and Ooty, with forest department stays that cost a fraction of neighbouring Kabini's resorts. Do not stop or get out to photograph animals from the highway (our Bandipur page).
- Masinagudi and Mudumalai, about 230 km. The route passes Theppakadu, the elephant camp; Masinagudi is about 7 km off it. Elephants on the road, a forest safari for a few hundred rupees, and the famous elephant camp at Theppakadu — at the foot of the Nilgiris, below Ooty. See our Masinagudi page.
- Kotagiri, 28 km past Ooty. The oldest hill station in the Nilgiris, all tea slopes and shola walks, with a cliff-edge view at Kodanad and none of Ooty's traffic. It is our pick instead of Ooty (our Kotagiri page).
The Bandipur–Mudumalai road is closed to all traffic from 9 pm to 6 am (our Bandipur and Masinagudi pages). Leave Bengaluru early enough to clear the forest by evening, and never walk on or stop along the forest road after dark.
Best time to go and what a day costs
Infographic · month by month
Kotagiri (Nilgiris, 28 km from Ooty), month by month
Month-by-month as text
Jan: Best · Feb: Best · Mar: Best · Apr: Best · May: Best · Jun: Passable · Jul: Passable · Aug: Passable · Sep: Good · Oct: Good · Nov: Good · Dec: Best
December to May is clear and dry, with cold nights in December and January. The monsoon (June to August) brings mist and rain on the ghat road; September to November is green but showery.
Best months in these hills: Jan–May, Dec, by our Kotagiri rating. A day in Kotagiri costs about ₹1,000 on a shoestring, ₹1,900 mid-range and ₹4,800 comfortable per person, for a bed, food, local transport and small fees (our Kotagiri page). We do not price Ooty itself.
Frequently asked questions
What is the distance from Bangalore to Ooty?
About 296 km by road from Bengaluru city centre to Ooty town (OSRM, 11 November 2026), via Mysuru, Bandipur and Gudalur.
How long does it take to drive from Bangalore to Ooty?
About 4 hours on a clear road by OSRM's estimate, with no breaks; add time for traffic and the climb. The forest road is closed from 9 pm to 6 am.
What is the cheapest way to go from Bangalore to Ooty?
By state bus via Mysuru. Karnataka revised bus fares from 4–5 November 2026 and we found no dated through fare, so check the live fare. The Bengaluru–Mysuru leg alone is now ₹197 (News Karnataka, 5 November 2026).
Can I go from Bangalore to Ooty by train?
Not directly. Take a train to Coimbatore, the MEMU to Mettupalayam, then the Nilgiri Mountain Railway or a bus up the hill. It is a long way round compared with the road.
Is the Bandipur road to Ooty open at night?
No. The road through Bandipur and Mudumalai is closed to traffic from 9 pm to 6 am. Plan to cross the forest in daylight.
Do I need an e-pass to drive to Ooty?
Tourist vehicles entering the Nilgiris have needed an e-pass under a Madras High Court order since 2024; bus and train passengers are exempt (DT Next, 14 March 2025). Check the Tamil Nadu e-pass portal for the rules on your dates.
When is the best time to visit Ooty?
In the Nilgiris, Jan–May, Dec by our rating for Kotagiri, 28 km from Ooty. December to May is clear and dry, with cold nights in December and January. The monsoon (June to August) brings mist and rain on the ghat road; September to November is green but showery.
Sources and how we priced this
- Road distance, drive time and the route: OSRM driving route (router.project-osrm.org), Bengaluru city centre (12.9716, 77.5946) to Ooty town (11.4102, 76.6950), and Ooty to Kotagiri, 11 November 2026; towns from OpenStreetMap Nominatim reverse lookups along the route line, the same day.
- Bus fares: News Karnataka, "BMTC fares rise by 35%, KSRTC by 23% in Karnataka" (5 November 2026), Bengaluru–Mysuru ₹160 to ₹197 (bus class not stated); Angel One and The Week on the revision (both 4 November 2026). No dated fare to Ooty was found.
- E-pass: DT Next, "Madras HC orders relaxation on e-pass for tourists to Nilgiris and Kodaikanal" (updated 14 March 2025). We could not confirm the rules in force in November 2026.
- Fuel: Bengaluru petrol ₹110.82 a litre, The Hans India daily fuel prices, 6 November 2026. 15 km per litre is our assumption, not a measured figure. Tolls: NHAI's toll information site (tis.nhai.gov.in) did not answer on 11 November 2026, so no toll is given. Train: no dated Bengaluru–Coimbatore fare found; MEMU fare from our Kotagiri page.
- Forest closure, stops, season and daily costs: Trip Under's Kotagiri, Bandipur, Masinagudi and Mudumalai and Mysuru and Srirangapatna pages, and our cost model.
Keep reading
Try Kotagiri instead of Ooty
Kotagiri is 28 km from Ooty: tea slopes, shola walks and the Kodanad viewpoint without Ooty's traffic. See its buses, stays and costs.
Open the Kotagiri page →Costs come from Trip Under's place data and our cost model (see methodology). They are indicative ballparks for budget travel and move with season and demand. Check live bus, train and room prices before you book. Trip Under is reader-planned, not an agency, and takes no commission on any booking.