Bangalore to Nandi Hills by Ertiga — fare, distance and route
| Distance | 60 km |
|---|---|
| Drive time | 1h 30m off-peak · up to 2h 15m at busy times |
| One way, from | ₹3,150 incl. GST |
| Round trip, from | ₹5,513 incl. GST |
| Highway | NH44 via Devanahalli, then the hill road |
| Best departure | Leave by 4am for sunrise - that is the entire point |
How that fare is built
| Item | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|
| Chargeable distance | 130 km (min) | 250 km (min) |
| Rate per km | ₹20 | ₹19 |
| Distance cost | ₹2,600 | ₹4,750 |
| Driver bata | ₹400 | ₹500 |
| Toll and parking | At actuals, with receipts — quoted on the call | |
| Sub-total | ₹3,000 | ₹5,250 |
| GST at 5% | ₹150 | ₹263 |
| Total, from | ₹3,150 | ₹5,513 |
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.
A booking that is really about 4am
Nandi Hills is sixty kilometres from Bangalore and an hour and a half’s drive. Neither number tells you anything useful, because the whole point of this trip is being at the top before the sun comes up.
Get there at seven and you have visited a pleasant hill with a good view. Get there at half five and you are standing above a sea of cloud with the plain invisible beneath it and the sky going through every colour it has. Those are different experiences and only one of them is why people book this.
So: leave the city around four. Our drivers do this run regularly, know the approach in the dark, and know how the hill road behaves when a hundred other cars have had the same idea on a Sunday.
The gate, and why local knowledge matters here
The hill has entry timings, and they are managed more actively at weekends than most visitors expect. Published information is not always current.
This is the one route we run where a driver’s up-to-date local knowledge routinely saves the entire trip rather than just some time — arriving to find you cannot go up yet, on the one morning you got out of bed at half three, is a specific kind of disappointment.
What is at the top
Tipu’s Drop is the sheer face at the edge of the plateau, with a drop of several hundred metres and the view that everyone photographs. The Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple at the foot of the hill is far older than the hill’s fame and usually empty. Amrita Sarovar and the small Tipu’s summer residence are up top.
Mostly, though, what is at the top is the air and the view, and the fact that it is fifteen degrees cooler than the city you left an hour ago.
Bring something warm. Visitors consistently underestimate how cold a Deccan hilltop is before sunrise.
Why this route suits an Ertiga
A short pre-dawn run with a group who will be cold, half asleep on the way up and talkative on the way down. Six seats and working air conditioning matter more here than luggage space, since almost nobody brings any. The car waits at the top, so this is a round trip with a wait rather than two journeys.
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 Nandi Hills 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 Nandi Hills — FAQs
What time do we need to leave Bangalore?
Around four in the morning. That is not us being cautious — sunrise is the entire point of Nandi Hills, and arriving after it has happened means a pleasant hill with a view instead of the thing you came for.
Is there a gate timing at the top?
Yes, the hill has entry timings and they do not always match what you read online, particularly at weekends when arrivals are managed. Your driver will know the current position — this is a route where local knowledge saves the trip rather than just the time.
Can the car drive to the summit?
There is a road up with a series of bends, and parking near the top. Weekends fill early, which is another argument for the pre-dawn departure.
Is a permit needed?
No. Nandi Hills is in Karnataka, about an hour and a half north of Bangalore.
Round trip or drop?
Round trip, without question. There is nothing at the top to get home from, and at 60 km a one-way drop would hit the minimum charge twice. The car waits while you are up there.