A Weekend from Bangalore

Bangalore to the Wayanad hills is one of South India's classic weekend drives — out through Mysore, across the Bandipur forest, over the Wayanad plateau and down the Thamarassery ghat. We sit right where that ghat meets the Kozhikode side, so here's how to time the drive, where to stop, and how to spend two nights once you're here.

The route

Bangalore → Naz's Farm House: roughly 320 km, 7–8 hrs with stops

Take the Mysore road out of Bangalore, then NH766 south through Nanjangud and Gundlupet, across Bandipur into Kerala at Muthanga, and on through Sulthan Bathery and Kalpetta. Past Vythiri you reach Lakkidi at the top of the ghat, then wind down the nine hairpin bends of the Thamarassery ghat to us at Puduppadi. Treat the distance and time as a guide — traffic out of Bangalore and ghat-road conditions both vary.

Time the Bandipur forest stretch

Bandipur (NH766): closed to cars 9 PM – 6 AM

The highway through Bandipur Tiger Reserve is closed to cars and buses overnight, and to two-wheelers from around 6 PM. Leave Bangalore early — ideally by 6 or 7 AM — and you'll cross the forest in daylight with plenty of margin. The same applies on the way home: set off after check-out and you'll be through Bandipur well before the gates close.

Where to stop on the way

Lakkidi View Point → Naz's Farm House: 21.4 km

Mysore makes an easy breakfast stop, and Sulthan Bathery or Kalpetta are the natural lunch towns once you're in Wayanad. Save your last stop for Lakkidi View Point at the top of the ghat (it also shows up on maps as Kozhikode Churam View Point — same place) for the view down the valley before the final descent. From there it's about 21 km down the hairpins to our gate.

Arrive, settle in, catch the sunset

Check-in any time after 2:00 PM

An early start gets you here mid-afternoon — right as check-in opens. The whole property is yours: both bedrooms, the double-height hall and The Majlis loft. Take the evening slowly on the terrace; the sun drops behind the hills right in front of the house, framed by the bougainvillea over the pergola.

Day two: waterfalls or the coast

Naz's Farm House → Thusharagiri Falls: 19 km · → Kozhikode Beach: 36.5 km

Head to Thusharagiri Falls for the 8 AM gate opening and beat the crowds, or go down to Kozhikode for the beach and a proper Malabar lunch. Either way you're back by late afternoon for a BBQ dinner on the grill in the garden.

Heading home

Check-out any time before 11:00 AM

A relaxed breakfast, check out by 11, and back up the ghat. That puts you through Bandipur by mid-afternoon and home in Bangalore by the evening — no racing the forest closure.

Distances within Kerala are from Google Maps driving directions from Naz's Farm House. The Bangalore distance and drive time are approximate. The Bandipur night closure has applied for years but is set by the authorities and can change — check current timings, and ghat-road conditions, before you set off.