6 days, 5 nights ยท Mysore, Coorg, Bandipur, Ooty
Six-day Karnataka tour package: the palace city, the coffee hills and the Nilgiris
The sixth day crosses the state line into the Nilgiris. Ooty sits at about 2,200 metres, a full thousand metres above Coorg, and it is a different kind of hill entirely — eucalyptus and tea rather than coffee and rain trees, a colonial hill station rather than a plantation district, and a narrow-gauge mountain railway that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The drive up through Bandipur and Mudumalai also gives the circuit its wildlife.
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The addition
Why Ooty is worth crossing a state line for
Coorg and Ooty are both hill districts and they feel nothing alike. Coorg is agricultural, private and low-key: estates, shade trees, coffee. Ooty is a town — a proper Victorian hill station with a botanical garden, a boating lake, a racecourse and rows of stone churches, sitting a thousand metres higher in air that is genuinely cold at night.
The road up is the other reason to go. It runs through the Bandipur reserve in Karnataka and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu, which together form one of the better elephant habitats in India, and then climbs 36 hairpins to Gudalur and on to Ooty. Traffic is stopped through the reserves at night, so the timing is fixed rather than optional, and elephants on or near the road in daylight are common rather than remarkable.
At the top, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway runs from Mettupalayam up to Ooty via Coonoor on a rack-and-pinion section — a UNESCO site and one of the last of its kind operating. Most travellers on this circuit ride the short Ooty-to-Coonoor leg and have the car meet them, which the desk arranges.
The Nilgiris
Ooty, Coonoor and which to base in
Two towns 19 kilometres apart with quite different characters.
Ooty
The bigger and busier: botanical gardens, the lake, Doddabetta peak at 2,637 metres, and a commercial centre that in season is crowded. Good for families and for anyone who wants things to do.
Coonoor
Lower, quieter and greener, with the best tea estates around it, Sim's Park and Dolphin's Nose. Most travellers who have been to both prefer to sleep here and visit Ooty.
The mountain railway
Mettupalayam to Ooty via Coonoor, steam-hauled on the lower rack section. The full run takes about five hours; the Ooty-Coonoor leg takes one and is what most visitors do, with the car meeting them at the other end.
The driving
Five legs, with the climb on day four
About 850 kilometres in total, and only the descent on the last day is long.
- Bengaluru to Mysore — about 145 km, 3 hours The expressway, with Srirangapatna on the way in.
- Mysore to Madikeri — about 120 km, 3 hours West into the coffee hills through Hunsur.
- Madikeri to Ooty — about 225 km, 5.5 to 6 hours South through Gonikoppal and Bandipur, into Mudumalai and up the 36 hairpins through Gudalur. The long day, and the most interesting one.
- Ooty to Bengaluru — about 270 km, 6.5 hours Down through Bandipur and Mysore, then the expressway. Or break it at Mysore if the last day feels long.
The reserves
Bandipur and Mudumalai, and the night traffic ban
The road from Karnataka into Tamil Nadu runs through two contiguous tiger reserves, and traffic is barred between about nine at night and six in the morning to reduce animal collisions. That is not negotiable and it shapes the day: the Madikeri-to-Ooty leg has to start early enough to clear the reserves in daylight, which is why day four on this circuit is a morning departure rather than an after-breakfast one.
In daylight the drive through is the best free wildlife viewing in south India. Elephants, gaur, spotted deer and langur are routine along the road; leopard and tiger are present but rarely seen from a vehicle. Stopping is not permitted inside the reserve, and feeding animals is both illegal and a good way to get someone hurt.
Proper safaris run from both Bandipur and Mudumalai in forest-department vehicles at fixed morning and evening slots, and can be added as an extra half day. The desk books them where the timings fit; they cannot be arranged at the gate on the day with any reliability.
Booking
How to book the six-day circuit
Book the transport direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment. Tell the desk if you want the mountain railway or a reserve safari — both are fixed-time and need to be built into the run sheet rather than added on the day. For plantation and hill-station stays, ask through the contact page. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100%.
Day by day
The six-day itinerary, leg by leg
The five-day Karnataka loop with the Nilgiris added; the day-four departure is early because the reserve road closes to traffic at night.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Bengaluru to Mysore | The expressway south-west, with Srirangapatna and Tipu's summer palace on the way. The Mysore palace in the late afternoon. | Bengaluru-Mysore ~145 km, 3 hrs |
| Day 2 | Mysore | Chamundi Hill early, the Amba Vilas palace, the Devaraja market and St Philomena's, with the illumination in the evening if it is a Sunday. | About 40 km in and around the city |
| Day 3 | Mysore to Coorg | West into the coffee hills, with Bylakuppe's golden temple on the way. A plantation stay near Madikeri. | Mysore-Madikeri ~120 km, 3 hrs |
| Day 4 | Coorg to Ooty | An early start south through Bandipur and Mudumalai in daylight, then the 36 hairpins up through Gudalur into the Nilgiris. | Madikeri-Ooty ~225 km, 5.5-6 hrs; depart 07:00 |
| Day 5 | Ooty and Coonoor | The botanical gardens and Doddabetta, then the mountain railway down to Coonoor with the car meeting you, and the tea estates in the afternoon. | Ooty-Coonoor ~19 km by road, 1 hr by train |
| Day 6 | Ooty to Bengaluru | Down through Mudumalai and Bandipur in the morning, then Mysore and the expressway east. | Ooty-Bengaluru ~270 km, 6.5 hrs |
What it costs
The 6-day Karnataka circuit: two ways to buy it
Six charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. Mountain railway tickets and forest-department safaris are separate charges billed at cost.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 6-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 6 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $11,700 - $14,040 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Premium MPV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 6-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $11,700 - $14,040 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $10,200 - $12,240 |
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $13,500 - $16,200 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $19,200 - $23,040 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 6-day Karnataka circuit: frequently asked
Why is the day-four start so early?
Because the road runs through the Bandipur and Mudumalai reserves, where traffic is barred from about nine at night until six in the morning. The leg has to clear the reserves in daylight.
Will we see wildlife on the drive?
Elephants, gaur, spotted deer and langur are routine along the reserve road in daylight. Stopping inside the reserve is not permitted. Proper safaris in forest-department vehicles run at fixed slots and can be added.
Should we stay in Ooty or Coonoor?
Coonoor is lower, quieter and greener, with the better tea estates; Ooty is bigger and has more to do. Most people who know both sleep in Coonoor and visit Ooty.
Is the mountain railway worth doing?
The Ooty to Coonoor leg takes about an hour and is the usual choice, with the car meeting you at the other end. The full run from Mettupalayam is about five hours and includes the steam-hauled rack section.
How cold does Ooty get?
At about 2,200 metres it needs a jacket most evenings and is genuinely cold in December and January. Coorg, a thousand metres lower, is mild by comparison.
Is the last day too long?
About 270 km and six and a half hours. If that does not suit, the desk breaks it with a night at Mysore, which makes the circuit seven days on the same daily rate.
Same circuit, other lengths
The Karnataka: Mysore, Coorg and Ooty in a different number of days
On the route
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Book
Book the six-day Karnataka circuit direct
Six charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Mention the railway or a safari so the run sheet is built around the fixed times.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
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Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Palace and heritage hotels
Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
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Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Hill-station stays
Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Wildlife and safari lodges
Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
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Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →International flights
Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Self-drive car rental
For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
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See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 5-day Karnataka tour · Chauffeur service in Bangalore · 6-day South India tour · Charter · Rates · City to City.
Official references used on this page:
- Karnataka Tourism: Coorg State tourism page for the coffee hills a charter reaches in about five hours.
- Karnataka Tourism: Mysuru State tourism page for the palace city on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway.
- National Highways Authority of India Expressway and toll information for the intercity routes we drive.
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India Official destination guides and tourist statistics.