Rent a chauffeur-driven Ertiga: Bangalore to Wayanad
| Distance | 280 km |
|---|---|
| Drive time | 6h off-peak · up to 7h at busy times |
| One way, from | ₹6,300 incl. GST |
| Round trip, from | ₹11,697 incl. GST |
| Highway | NH275 via Mysore and Gundlupet, through Bandipur |
| Best departure | Leave by 5am, and check the Bandipur overnight closure |
How that fare is built
| Item | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|
| Chargeable distance | 280 km | 560 km |
| Rate per km | ₹20 | ₹19 |
| Distance cost | ₹5,600 | ₹10,640 |
| Driver bata | ₹400 | ₹500 |
| Toll and parking | At actuals, with receipts — quoted on the call | |
| Sub-total | ₹6,000 | ₹11,140 |
| GST at 5% | ₹300 | ₹557 |
| Total, from | ₹6,300 | ₹11,697 |
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.
Six hours, with a gate at the end of it
Bangalore to Wayanad is around 280 km — roughly twice the distance of the same trip from Mysore — and the hard part is not the length. It is that the constraint sits at the far end.
The route runs down through Mysore, out past Gundlupet, and then through the Bandipur reserve before crossing into Kerala at Muthanga. That reserve section closes to through traffic overnight, and it is enforced.
From Mysore, that crossing is two hours into the journey and easy to time. From Bangalore it is five hours in — so if the city exit runs slow, or you left later than planned, you can find yourself approaching a closed barrier with nowhere useful to be.
Which is why we suggest stopping at Mysore
Split it. Mysore is halfway, worth a night on its own, and it removes the timing problem completely — Wayanad is then a comfortable three-hour morning run with the reserve crossed in daylight.
A great many of our Wayanad bookings from Bangalore are really Bangalore–Mysore–Wayanad for exactly this reason, and we would rather quote that than take a booking that depends on nothing going wrong.
Inside the reserve the rules are simple: no stopping, no feeding, well below the speed limit where the scrub comes close. Our drivers know it.
What is at Wayanad
Wayanad is a high plateau district in northern Kerala — spice country, coffee, paddy in the valleys, forest around the edges. Greener and wilder than Coorg, much less developed than Munnar.
Edakkal Caves hold neolithic petroglyphs and involve a real climb. Chembra Peak, with its heart-shaped lake partway up, is the district’s best walk. Banasura Sagar is a large earthen dam with islands in the reservoir. Soochipara and Meenmutty are the waterfalls worth the effort.
Thirunelli temple, tucked into the northern hills, is old and quiet and almost never on itineraries.
The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary at Muthanga — the Kerala half of the forest you drove through — runs safaris in fixed slots. Mention it and we plan the day around them.
Why this route suits an Ertiga
Six hours out with a border crossing and a forest section, carrying luggage for several days. For four or five people, comfortable and economical. For six adults across that distance we would size up — and on this particular route, where a delay has consequences at the Bandipur gate, we would rather not have a car full of people needing more stops than the schedule allows.
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 Wayanad 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 Wayanad — FAQs
Does the Bandipur night closure affect this route?
Yes, and it is the constraint that shapes the whole journey. The highway through the reserve closes to through traffic overnight to protect animals crossing. From Bangalore it sits at the far end of a six-hour drive, so mistiming it means being stopped a long way from where you are sleeping.
Is a permit needed?
Yes. Wayanad is in Kerala and you start in Karnataka, so an interstate permit applies, charged at actuals and quoted before you travel.
Should we break the journey at Mysore?
We would recommend it. Mysore sits at the halfway point and it removes the timing pressure from the Bandipur crossing entirely. From Mysore, Wayanad is a comfortable three hours the next morning.
How long is the drive?
About six hours in good conditions, and it is not a route to be optimistic about — the reserve section is deliberately slow and the Kerala side climbs.
Will we see animals on the way?
Quite possibly, through Bandipur and then Muthanga on the Kerala side. That means no stopping, no feeding, and driving well below the limit where visibility is short.