Outstation · 2–3 night trips
Outstation cabs from Bangalore, driven properly
The hill stations within a long day's drive, with the part most trip guides leave out: the e-passes, vehicle permits, daily entry caps and night road closures that decide whether you actually get in.
Outstation taxi service in Bangalore, run as a personal cab: one vehicle and driver for the whole trip, not a shared departure.
Outstation cab services in Bangalore
How booking, vehicles, permits and one-way drops work is covered in full on outstation cabs from Bangalore. The routes below are the overnight road trips.
What an outstation cab covers
One vehicle and one driver for the whole trip, from your doorstep in Bengaluru to the destination and back. The driver stays with you for the nights you are away, so there is no rebooking at the other end and no hunting for a return ride in a hill town at 6 AM. Most outstation groups take an Innova class SUV rather than a sedan, for the boot space over a six hour leg.
What an outstation taxi costs
Outstation starts from ₹10 per km, and the total for your route is fixed before you book. A return booking covers the full round trip including the driver's nights away, and a one-way drop is priced for the single leg if you are not coming back the same way. Neither moves with demand, which is the usual reason an outstation quote changes between asking and booking. Tolls, permits and entry fees are shown separately so you can see what is actually included.
Why a driver beats self-drive on these routes
Every route below crosses ghats, forest stretches or state borders, and several carry permit or timing restrictions that catch self-drivers out. A driver who runs these roads regularly handles the checkposts, the night closures and the sections where a map is confidently wrong.
Where to go, nearest first
Ghats and coffee · Karnataka
Bengaluru to Sakleshpur
~220 km4–5 hrs2 nights1 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
Coffee country · Karnataka
Bengaluru to Chikmagalur
~245 km4.5–5.5 hrs2 nights2 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
Coffee and waterfalls · Karnataka
Bengaluru to Coorg (Madikeri)
~255 km5–6 hrs2 nightsItinerary & permits →
Hill station · Tamil Nadu
Bengaluru to Ooty
~270 km6.5–7.5 hrs2 nights3 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
Forest and hills · Kerala
Bengaluru to Wayanad
~280 km6–7 hrs2 nights2 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
Coast and colonial quarter · Puducherry
Bengaluru to Pondicherry
~310 km5.5–6.5 hrs2 nights1 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
UNESCO heritage · Karnataka
Bengaluru to Hampi
~340 km6–7 hrs2 nights2 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
Hill station · Tamil Nadu
Bengaluru to Kodaikanal
~460 km8–9 hrs3 nights3 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
Tea country · Kerala
Bengaluru to Munnar
~480 km9–10 hrs3 nights3 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
Coast and temple town · Karnataka
Bengaluru to Gokarna
~480 km8–9 hrs3 nights2 permit or road restriction to sort first
Itinerary & permits →
The three things that catch people out
Ooty needs an e-pass, all year
Any vehicle without a Nilgiris registration needs a free e-pass from epass.tnega.org to enter the district, and in April to June, daily entries are capped and issued first come, first served.
Full details →The Bandipur forest road closes at 9 PM
The direct route to both Ooty and Wayanad runs through Bandipur Tiger Reserve, shut to cars from 9 PM to 6 AM every day. A late start means an overnight stop or a 30 km detour.
Full details →Eravikulam shuts for two months
Munnar's national park closes from 1 February to 31 March for Nilgiri tahr calving. If that is why you are going, those are the months to avoid.
Full details →Planning questions, answered
Which weekend trip from Bangalore needs the least driving?
Sakleshpur at roughly 220 km and 4 to 5 hours, followed by Chikmagalur at 245 km and Coorg at 255 km. All three are within Karnataka, so there is no interstate permit or border tax either. If the priority is maximum time at the destination rather than in the car, start there.
Which trips need a permit or e-pass?
Ooty and Kodaikanal both require a free Tamil Nadu e-pass for any vehicle without a local hill-district registration, applied for at epass.tnega.org, and they are administered separately, so visiting both means two applications. Chikmagalur needs an online vehicle permit for the Mullayanagiri road. Coorg, Sakleshpur, Hampi, Gokarna and Pondicherry need none.
Can I do Ooty or Wayanad as a two-night trip?
Yes, but the Bandipur night traffic ban shapes both. The forest stretch of NH-766 is closed to cars from 9 PM to 6 AM every day, so you need to leave Bengaluru early enough to clear it in daylight in each direction. A late Friday departure usually means an unplanned overnight stop or a 30 km detour.
Which of these need three nights rather than two?
Munnar, Kodaikanal and Gokarna. Each is 8 to 10 hours of driving each way, so a two-night trip gives you two driving days and a single usable one. Everything else on the list works comfortably as a two-night weekend.
Are these shared trips or a private cab?
Multi-day trips run as a personal cab, the vehicle and driver are yours for the duration, and you set the itinerary. Shared departures apply to airport transfers and the one-day getaways, not to overnight journeys.
When is the best time for a road trip from Bangalore?
October to February suits almost all of them, clear weather, full waterfalls after the monsoon, and comfortable driving. The exceptions worth planning around: Hampi is punishing from March to May, Gokarna’s beaches and boats shut down in the monsoon, and Munnar’s Eravikulam National Park closes through February and March.
Only have a day?
Nandi Hills, Adiyogi, Mysuru, Hogenakkal and six more work as single-day trips, with shared group departures as well as personal cabs. One-day getaways from Bengaluru →