Mysuru to Ooty through Bandipur this winter: gate timings, the e-pass, and what I check before the climb

I have been mapping out a cool season run to the Nilgiris, and the XUV700 is honestly made for this kind of trip.

The shape of it: leave Mysuru early, Nanjangud and Gundlupet, then the reserve stretch on NH 766, then the Gudalur side climb up to Ooty. December to February mornings are cold and clear and the ghat surface stays dry, which matters a lot in a heavy seven seater with the family and luggage aboard.

Paperwork first. Night traffic through Bandipur stays shut 9 pm to 6 am, which Mongabay's piece on that highway explains well, so either clear the forest in daylight or swing via Hunsur and Kutta. Ooty also runs an e-pass for tourist vehicles now, Deccan Herald covered how that landed.

On the car I like cold tyre pressures checked, brake fluid looked at, spare inflated, and adaptive cruise switched off before the hairpins. Light throttle inside the reserve, no horn.

Anyone driven the Gudalur climb recently? Curious about the surface.