How far is Yercaud from Bangalore by road, and what will the cab cost?
Yercaud is about 230 km from Bangalore, usually 5 hours by car on NH44 via Hosur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Salem, then a 20-hairpin ghat. A chauffeur-driven sedan costs Rs 8,280 Pay Now to Reserve one way and an Innova Crysta Rs 13,110 Pay Now to Reserve, before 5% GST, with highway tolls and parking extra at cost.
For Bangalore families, Yercaud has quietly become the weekend hill station of choice when Coorg is booked out and Ooty feels too far. It is a short, almost entirely four-lane run down the national highway to Salem, then a single steep climb into the Shevaroy Hills, where coffee and pepper grow under tall silver oaks and the temperature drops ten degrees from the plains below. Leave Bangalore after breakfast on Saturday and you are drinking estate coffee by a misty lake in time for a late lunch.
RutzIndia.com runs this trip as a one-way drop, as a two or three day round trip with the chauffeur staying up the hill, and as a group outing in a Tempo Traveller. This guide lays out the road, the sights, the seasons and a simple fare table so you can decide, then book your Yercaud cab online.
What makes Yercaud worth the drive
Yercaud sits at roughly 1,500 metres in the Shevaroy range, lower and smaller than the big Nilgiri resorts, which is exactly its charm. The town wraps around a lake, the roads are short, and most sights are no more than a 15-minute drive apart, so even a two-night stay feels unhurried.
- Yercaud Lake, also called Emerald Lake, is the heart of town, with boating, a lakeside walk and Anna Park's flower beds beside it.
- Lady's Seat, Gent's Seat and Children's Seat are a cluster of cliff-edge viewpoints looking down the ghat to Salem. After dark the city lights spread out like a carpet, and on clear evenings the ghat road below is picked out by headlamps.
- Pagoda Point, sometimes called Pyramid Point, on the eastern edge, where stacked stone pyramids built by local villagers mark a sweeping view towards the Kaveri plain.
- Shevaroyan temple, near the highest point of the range, a small cave shrine that draws pilgrims during the local May festival.
- Killiyur Falls, a seasonal waterfall reached by a steep path; spectacular after the rains, a trickle in summer.
- Bear's Cave and the coffee estates around it, where some plantations welcome visitors for short walks.
- Botanical garden and orchidarium managed by the Botanical Survey of India, and the rose garden run by the state horticulture department.
Food is estate-style: filter coffee made from beans grown within sight of the cup, oranges and jackfruit in season, and pepper sold loose by the kilo. Many guests book heritage estate bungalows rather than town hotels, which is where a car with driver becomes useful, because the estate lanes are narrow and unsigned.
Yercaud also works well for occasions that are awkward in a busy resort town. Small milestone birthdays, a quiet anniversary, a team offsite of fifteen people, or a multi-generation family trip where grandparents cannot manage long walks: the short distances between sights mean nobody is ever more than a few minutes from the car. Our drivers are used to waiting at viewpoints while elders rest, and to ferrying the younger ones down to the lake and back for a second boat ride.
The route: NH44 to Salem, then the Yercaud ghat
Bangalore to Salem (about 200 km)
Your driver picks you up anywhere in Bangalore and heads for the Hosur Road, usually via Electronic City's elevated expressway to avoid the Silk Board jams. Past Hosur you cross into Tamil Nadu, where the interstate tax formalities for commercial cars are handled by the driver at the border; permits and state tax are added at actual cost. From Krishnagiri the highway swings south through Dharmapuri towards Salem on a fast divided road with several toll plazas. Food courts and fuel stations are frequent; the Krishnagiri stretch has plenty of darshinis for idli and coffee.
If anyone in the car wants a detour, Hogenakkal Falls on the Kaveri is roughly an hour off the highway from Dharmapuri. It makes a long day, so we suggest saving it for the return.
Salem to Yercaud (about 30 km)
The ghat begins just outside Salem city. It is a well-paved two-lane road with twenty numbered hairpin bends, climbing roughly 1,200 metres in a little over 20 km. The views open up from about the tenth bend. It is steep, and on Sunday evenings the downhill queue can be slow, so we plan departures to avoid the post-lunch rush. A quieter second road descends via Kuppanur on the eastern side; it is longer and narrower but useful when the main ghat is crowded.
How long to allow
Plan on about five hours from central Bangalore on a weekday morning. A Friday-evening departure can take six or more because of the Hosur Road exodus, which is why many guests leave at 6 am on Saturday instead. For advisories on highway works you can check the National Highways Authority of India site, and local notices for the hills appear on the Salem district website.
When to go, and what the weather does
Yercaud is mild most of the year, rarely hot and seldom cold enough to need heavy woollens:
- October to February brings cool, clear days (roughly 13 to 25 degrees) and crisp nights. The north-east monsoon falls between October and December, so pack an umbrella.
- March to June is the escape season for the hot plains. The Yercaud summer festival, usually held in May with a flower show at Anna Park, is the busiest weekend of the year.
- July to September sees scattered showers and mist; the hills are at their greenest and hotels are cheapest.
Long weekends around Pongal, Diwali and Christmas fill up quickly, and Bangalore IT holidays can make Saturday check-ins crowded. If your dates are fixed, book the car at the same time as the hotel.
RutzIndia.com cabs for Yercaud: services and fares
We run the Yercaud route in the way that suits your group:
- One-way drop to a Yercaud hotel or estate from any Bangalore address or from Kempegowda airport.
- Weekend round trip, where the driver stays up the hill for local sightseeing. Round trips carry the standard minimum of 250 km per calendar day and a night allowance of Rs 1,500 per night.
- Airport pickups at Bangalore with flight tracking and a name board, including 60 minutes free waiting after international arrivals and 30 minutes after domestic ones. The Bangalore airport taxi page has the transfer rates.
- Group trips for colleagues or extended families in a 12 to 17 seat Tempo Traveller; see Tempo Traveller in Bangalore.
| Vehicle | One way (230 km) | 2-day round trip (500 km billed) | 3-day round trip (750 km billed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dzire-class sedan (Rs 36/km) | Rs 8,280 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 18,000 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 27,000 Pay Now to Reserve |
| Premium sedan (Rs 48/km) | Rs 11,040 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 24,000 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 36,000 Pay Now to Reserve |
| Ertiga MUV (Rs 42/km) | Rs 9,660 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 21,000 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 31,500 Pay Now to Reserve |
| Innova Crysta (Rs 57.6/km) | Rs 13,110 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 28,500 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 42,750 Pay Now to Reserve |
| Tempo Traveller (Rs 78/km) | Rs 17,940 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 39,000 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 58,500 Pay Now to Reserve |
The two-day round trip covers about 460 km of actual driving plus local running, which falls under the 500 km minimum. Fares are before 5% GST; NH44 tolls, the Tamil Nadu permit for the vehicle, parking and the driver's night allowance are billed at actual cost. Pay by card or UPI through the booker; companies receive a GST invoice.
Need to change plans? Cancel more than 72 hours before pickup for free. Within 72 hours we retain 10% of the fare, within 48 hours 50%, and within 24 hours or on a no-show the full amount. The full wording is on our cancellation policy page. All our cars are within four model years.
A relaxed two-day Yercaud plan
Saturday: Bangalore to Yercaud (about 235 km). Leave at 6 am, breakfast near Krishnagiri, reach Salem by 10.30 and the top of the ghat by 11.30. Check in, lunch, then a lazy afternoon on the lake and in Anna Park. Sunset at Lady's Seat, when the Salem lights come on below.
Sunday: Viewpoints and home (about 260 km). Early drive to Pagoda Point for the morning light, then the Shevaroyan temple and a coffee estate walk. Early lunch, descend by 1.30 pm via the main ghat or Kuppanur, and reach Bangalore by about 7 pm.
Adding a third day (about 60 km). Walk down to Killiyur Falls, visit the orchidarium and Bear's Cave, and simply sit on the estate veranda. Families sometimes add a morning at Hogenakkal on the drive back.
Practical notes for Yercaud
- Parking around the lake fills on weekends. The driver will drop you at the gate and wait in the paid lot; the charge goes on the bill at cost.
- Entry fees apply at the lake boat house, some gardens and a few viewpoints. They change periodically, so check on the day.
- Hairpin comfort: anyone prone to car sickness should sit in front and skip a heavy breakfast before the ghat.
- ATMs and fuel: there are a few in town, but it is easier to fill up and draw cash in Salem.
- Night driving: we avoid descending the ghat after dark in heavy rain; your driver will advise.
Looking for a shorter outing from the city? Try Nandi Hills by road for a sunrise trip, or go further south to Kodaikanal by road for a bigger hill holiday. For Chennai-bound travellers, the Bangalore to Chennai taxi shares the Krishnagiri stretch of this highway, and our taxi service in Bangalore covers every other route out of the city.
