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Route · Karnataka to Tamil Nadu
Mysore to Ooty: Distance, Every Way to Get There and What It Costs
Ooty is about 158 km from Mysuru by road. The road crosses two tiger reserves, Bandipur in Karnataka and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu, where it is closed at night, then climbs from Gudalur past Naduvattam and Pykara to Ooty. Here is every way to do it, what it costs, and where to stop.
Photo: Manikantareddy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
Mysore to Ooty is about 158 km by road, roughly 2 hours 10 minutes of driving on a clear road (a free-flow routing estimate; the ghat and the forest stretches are slower). The road through Bandipur and Mudumalai is closed from 9 pm to 6 am. The cheapest way is a state bus (KSRTC or TNSTC), but we found no official or news-reported fare, so check the live fare. The fastest is your own car: about ₹1,150 of petrol one way, and a Nilgiris e-pass for the vehicle.
How we worked it out. On 12 November 2026 we routed from Mysuru (12.3052, 76.6554) to Ooty town (11.4127, 76.7031) with OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM) and checked the towns along the line. Routing times assume an empty road, so treat them as a floor. Bus fares come only from official notices or dated news reports; we found none for this route, so we give no number. Open the route on Google Maps for live traffic.
Every way to get there
| Way | Route | Time | Cost, one way | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State bus (KSRTC or TNSTC) | Mysuru → Gundlupet → Bandipur → Gudalur → Ooty | not confirmed | Check the live fare (no official or news fare found) | Our Bandipur data: Mysuru–Ooty buses stop at Bandipur |
| Own car | 158 km via Gundlupet, Bandipur, Mudumalai and Gudalur | 2 h 10 min free-flow, daylight only | About ₹1,150 petrol; e-pass needed; tolls not checked | Petrol ₹110.44/l in Mysuru, 11 Nov 2026; 15 km/l assumed |
| Train | No line from Mysuru towards Ooty. Ooty's railway is the Nilgiri Mountain Railway from Mettupalayam, near Coimbatore | a long detour | Check the live fare | Not a practical way from Mysuru |
- The bus. Buses on the Mysuru–Ooty road stop at Bandipur (our Bandipur page), and Mysuru–Ooty buses also stop at Theppakadu in Mudumalai (our Masinagudi page). We found no fare published by KSRTC or TNSTC, or reported in the news with a date, so ask at the Mysuru bus stand or check the corporation's own site.
- The car maths. 158 km ÷ 15 km a litre (our assumption for a petrol hatchback; yours may differ) × ₹110.44 a litre = about ₹1,150, or about ₹290 a person split four ways. We could not check road tolls: the NHAI toll site did not answer on 12 November 2026.
- The Nilgiris e-pass. Tourist vehicles need an e-pass to enter the Nilgiris, applied for online in advance on the Tamil Nadu e-pass portal, with a printout carried to the check post. After Madras High Court directions, entry is capped at 6,000 vehicles on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends and holidays; green tax and check-post fees are collected separately (Onmanorama, 1 May 2026). The report did not say whether the rule runs all year, so check before you go.
- Booking. The state corporations sell their own tickets online and at the counter. Aggregators such as redBus and AbhiBus list the same buses with private ones; Trip Under does not link to them and takes no commission.
The road and where to stop
Infographic · the route
Mysuru to Ooty by road
About 158 km. Distances and road names: OSRM, 12 Nov 2026.
OSRM's route leaves Mysuru on NH766 through Nanjangud taluk to Gundlupet, then turns onto NH181 through the Bandipur tiger reserve, crosses into Tamil Nadu through Mudumalai (past Kargudi), reaches Gudalur, and climbs the Gudalur–Ooty road past Naduvattam and Pykara. The shorter, steeper Kalhatti ghat from Masinagudi has 36 hairpin bends and is closed to some vehicles, though buses use it (our Masinagudi page); OSRM does not route over it.
Night closure. The Bandipur–Mudumalai road is closed to traffic from 9 pm to 6 am (our Bandipur and Masinagudi pages). Leave Mysuru by early afternoon, and never stop or get out of the car to photograph elephants on the forest stretch.
- Bandipur (about 77 km from Mysuru by OSRM): one of India's original Project Tiger reserves, with the highway running through it. The forest department safari, about ₹600 a person, is the cheapest in this part of Karnataka; book at the Bandipur reception (our Bandipur page).
- Masinagudi and Mudumalai: get off at Theppakadu, where the Mysuru–Ooty buses stop, for the Theppakadu elephant camp and forest department safaris; Masinagudi is 7 km on (our Masinagudi page). The bus from Mysuru to Theppakadu takes about 2 h 30 m.
- Kotagiri, past Ooty: about 27 km on by OSRM, the oldest hill station in the Nilgiris, with tea slopes, shola walks and the Kodanad viewpoint, and none of Ooty's traffic (our Kotagiri page).
When to go, and what a day costs
Ooty itself is not one of our place pages: Trip Under covers quieter places, and Kotagiri is our pick instead of Ooty. So the season and costs here are from our Nilgiris data for Kotagiri, up in the hills, and Masinagudi, at the foot of them.
Infographic · month by month
Kotagiri (Nilgiris hills) 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.
| Place | Best months (our scores) | Shoestring a day | Mid-range a day | Comfortable a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kotagiri, 27 km past Ooty | Jan–May, Dec | ₹1,000 | ₹1,900 | ₹4,800 |
| Masinagudi and Mudumalai | Jan–Mar, Nov–Dec | ₹1,000 | ₹1,900 | ₹4,000 |
| Bandipur | Jan–Mar, Oct–Dec | ₹1,200 | ₹2,500 | ₹5,000 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the distance from Mysore to Ooty?
About 158 km by road (OSRM, 12 November 2026), via Gundlupet, Bandipur, Mudumalai and Gudalur.
How long does it take to drive from Mysore to Ooty?
About 2 hours 10 minutes on a clear road by routing estimate. The forest stretches and the ghat above Gudalur are slow, so allow more.
Is the Mysore to Ooty road open at night?
No. The road through Bandipur and Mudumalai is closed to traffic from 9 pm to 6 am. Plan to be through the forest before then.
What is the cheapest way from Mysore to Ooty?
A KSRTC or TNSTC state bus. We found no official or news-reported fare, so check the live fare at the Mysuru bus stand or on the corporation's site.
Can I go from Mysore to Ooty by train?
Not practically. There is no line from Mysuru towards Ooty; Ooty's railway is the Nilgiri Mountain Railway from Mettupalayam, near Coimbatore. The road is the way.
Do I need an e-pass to drive from Mysore to Ooty?
Yes for tourist vehicles: apply online on the Tamil Nadu e-pass portal before you travel. Entry is capped at 6,000 vehicles on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends and holidays (Onmanorama, 1 May 2026).
What is the best time to go from Mysore to Ooty?
In the Nilgiris hills our scores rate Jan–May, Dec best (Kotagiri data). For wildlife on the way, Bandipur is best Jan–Mar, Oct–Dec.
Sources and how we priced this
- Distance, drive time and roads: OSRM driving routes (router.project-osrm.org) from Mysuru (12.3052, 76.6554) to Ooty (11.4127, 76.7031, the Udhagamandalam town point in OpenStreetMap), and from Ooty to Kotagiri, 12 November 2026; towns from OpenStreetMap Nominatim reverse lookups along the route, 12 November 2026.
- Bus fares: no official KSRTC or TNSTC fare and no dated news report found as of 12 November 2026.
- E-pass and vehicle caps: Onmanorama, Ooty flower show guide (1 May 2026).
- Fuel: petrol in Mysuru ₹110.44 a litre on 11 November 2026 (Upstox fuel price page, city table); 15 km a litre is our assumption. Tolls: NHAI TIS (tis.nhai.gov.in) did not respond on 12 November 2026.
- Night closure, the Kalhatti ghat, stops, season and daily costs: Trip Under's Bandipur, Masinagudi and Kotagiri pages and our cost model.
Keep reading
Ooty without the traffic
Kotagiri is the oldest hill station in the Nilgiris, about 27 km from Ooty: tea slopes, shola walks and the Kodanad cliff view. See its costs and how to get there.
Open the Kotagiri page →Fuel prices and rules are as read on the dates given and change often; check the live fare and the e-pass rule before you travel. Distances and drive times are routing estimates. Daily costs come from Trip Under's place data and cost model (see methodology). Trip Under is not an agency and takes no commission on any booking.