Pondicherry is a good place to start a road trip. Highways run in every direction – up and down the coast, west to the hills and across the state border into Kerala and Karnataka – and many of South India's best sights lie within a day's drive. With a car and driver you can stop where you like, avoid changing trains and buses, and let someone else deal with the ghat roads. Below are the routes that work best, grouped by how much time you have.
Short routes: 2–4 days
- Up the East Coast Road: Mahabalipuram (about 96 km) and Kanchipuram (about 118 km). See the Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram heritage tour.
- Down the coast: Chidambaram, Tranquebar (about 120 km), Karaikal and Velankanni – on our Tranquebar, Karaikal and Velankanni coast trip.
- The Chola delta: Kumbakonam and Thanjavur, through paddy fields and temple towns. See the Great Chola Temples tour.
Longer road trips: 5–10 days
- Temples of the south: Madurai (about 334 km), Rameswaram and Kanyakumari, ending at the southern tip of India – the Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari tour.
- Into Kerala: climb from Madurai to Munnar's tea estates, drop to Thekkady and finish on the backwaters at Alleppey – the Kerala: Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey tour.
- Nilgiris and Mysore: up to Ooty (about 430 km), then down through the Mudumalai and Bandipur forests to Mysore – see Ooty, Coonoor and Mysore or Wayanad, Ooty and Mysore.
- Karnataka heritage and coffee: overnight in Bengaluru (about 315 km), then on to Hampi (about 650 km in total) or Chikkamagaluru and Coorg – see the Hampi heritage tour and the Coorg and Chikmagalur coffee trail.
Best season
October to March is the most comfortable time for long drives, with cooler days across the plains. The northeast monsoon brings heavy rain to coastal Tamil Nadu from about October to December, and cyclones occasionally close roads for a day or two. The Western Ghats – Kerala, Coorg, Chikkamagaluru – are wettest from June to September, when ghat roads can be hit by landslides. April and May are hot on the plains but a good time to head for the hills.
Road trip tips
- Keep daily drives to about 300–350 km, or 6–7 hours, so you arrive in daylight and still see something on the way.
- Tamil Nadu tourist cars pay interstate permit charges when entering Kerala, Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh; this is normal and applies to every operator.
- At the time of writing, visiting vehicles need an e-pass for the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal – apply on the official Tamil Nadu e-pass site before you go.
- Some forest highways, such as the Bandipur and Mudumalai stretches between Ooty and Mysore, are closed to traffic at night. Plan to cross them in daylight.
- Break long drives with a sight on the way – Tiruvannamalai en route to Bengaluru, or Trichy on the way south.
Plan your road trip
Tell us on WhatsApp (+91 96265 65138) how many days you have and what you enjoy. We will suggest a route with an AC car and driver, and can help book hotels along the way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best road trip from Pondicherry?
For a short trip, the Chola delta (Kumbakonam and Thanjavur) or the coast to Mahabalipuram. With a week or more, the Kerala route via Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey and the Ooty–Mysore loop are the most varied.
How many kilometres can I cover in a day by car in South India?
Plan on about 300–350 km a day on highways, and much less on ghat roads. That keeps drive times to around 6–7 hours and leaves time for sightseeing.
Do I need a permit to drive from Tamil Nadu to Kerala or Karnataka?
Tourist vehicles registered in Tamil Nadu pay an interstate permit charge at the border. Travellers do not need a personal permit.
Is the Ooty–Mysore road open at night?
The stretches through the Mudumalai and Bandipur forests are closed to general traffic at night. Plan to drive this section in the daytime and check current timings locally.
