Team offsites from Bengaluru: what one or two nights away costs a head

How we got ₹2,900 to ₹3,600. Thirty people, one night at a resort near the city: a tent at ₹2,500 a head or a cottage at ₹3,200, as its package page lists them. Then a 30-seat bus at one operator's outstation rate, ₹38 a km with a 300 km minimum for the trip, plus ₹700 a day for the driver for two days: ₹12,800, or about ₹430 a head. That holds while the round trip stays under 300 km. Left out: GST on the stay (its page doesn't say) and on the bus, tolls, parking, the driver's night halt and food, and drinks.

Adding a host. Ruby Gracia's 2 to 3 hours of games at ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 works out to about ₹700 to ₹1,000 a head for 30, plus her travel and stay. Sushmita Sethia's full day at ₹1,00,000 is about ₹3,300 a head, plus travel for her and an assistant.

What one night's stay costs further out. Per head for one night, from each place's own page:

A government jungle camp in Dandeli has dorm beds at ₹1,888 a night with meals, activities extra. It's a long drive, so plan two nights and a longer bus hire.

The drive sets the bus bill. Out of town the bus is billed by the km from its garage and back, with a 300 km minimum, plus the driver's ₹700 a day and a night halt charge on a trip of more than a day (question 6).

For a leadership group of 10 to 15, Kabini works well: the government lodge's price includes all meals and two safaris, so the bill is close to the quote.

Two lodges at Kabini, and what each price covers, for one night:

The two prices cover different things, so set the full bill side by side before you choose. The government lodge's 14 bungalow rooms hold 28 at two to a room, and its 14 cottages, at ₹17,600 a head, hold 28 more.

What the extra pays for. Sushmita told us that taking one date means turning another away, so she works one event a day, and that a company event takes more time and effort than a family one. Ruby prices by the clock, whatever the headcount, and brings her own props. Sushmita's standard game props are free and custom ones extra. Both leave the sound to you.

Out of town, both add travel. Sushmita's 3-hour award night out of town is ₹50,000, plus travel for her and an assistant. Ruby's 3 to 4 hours are ₹30,000 to ₹40,000, and her travel and stay are yours.

Stays work the same way. At one Kanakapura resort a tent is ₹2,500 a head and a private-pool suite ₹5,000. Its package page lists the same meals and games for both, so the extra buys the room.

What each way gives you.

• Booking direct. The resort's package is the stay, the meals and its games. You add the bus, and a host if you want one. It's an evening of calls and a sign-up form.
• An agency. Worth it, we think, for flights, groups of a hundred or more, or a country to cross. Compare its stay line with the resort's own published price, so you can see what the agency adds. Ask whether its quote covers its own staff's travel and stay.
• A travel agent's group tour. The cheapest tours abroad put your team in a group with other travellers. Ask for a private departure if you want the team on its own.
• Get the plan in writing. In July 2026 a Mumbai consumer commission ordered a Bengaluru travel firm to pay ₹60,000 over a Thailand tour. The complaint said the firm cut islands from the plan two days before departure and swapped the hotel. Every hotel and every stop goes in the contract.

• The advance. The government Kabini lodge wants the whole amount up front. One Coorg resort says it may charge for the whole stay if you cancel, and asks for at least 5 cottages. One near-city resort keeps a dorm booking cancelled inside 7 days.
• Dropouts. No resort page we read says how many people you can drop. Agree the number and the date it locks before you pay, or you pay for the empty beds.
• GST. A room up to ₹7,500 a night carries 5% GST since 22 September 2025. Ask which rate applies to a package with meals, and to a room above that.

• What comes on top. Tolls, parking and a permit for any other state. Its Coorg page adds GST, a night halt charge on a trip of more than a day, and the driver's allowance after 9:45 pm. Ask who pays for the driver's food and room.
• Can the bus reach the gate? Ask the resort before you book a 45-seater. For 30 people or fewer, the operator's Coorg page says a 25-seater minibus usually costs less.
• Wayanad or Ooty. The road through Bandipur is shut from about 8.30 or 9 pm to 6 am, so leave early enough to clear it by evening.

The law. Karnataka's Excise Act bars drinking in a public place, which takes in places like a resort, unless a licence allows it, and bars the owner from allowing it. A resort without a licence that covers your event may simply say no to your bottles.

The one-day licence. The venue or the event's organiser applies for a one-day CL-5 licence. From 26 May 2026 it's likely ₹75,000 for a commercial event and ₹20,000 for a private one. A compliance firm's summary counts corporate gatherings as commercial, but we couldn't confirm which one a company's own offsite is, so ask the resort.

On the night. Name one person who stays sober and is in charge until the end. Agree when the bar closes. Plan an evening that doesn't hang on the bar, such as a show (question 8), so the people who don't drink have something to do too.

So a host out of town costs her fee plus travel for two. Sushmita's 2-hour city show is ₹35,000 to ₹40,000. Her 3-hour award night out of town is ₹50,000, with travel for both on top.

What the two days look like, from one near-city resort's own package:

1. Arrival

   A welcome drink and lunch.

2. Afternoon

   The pool, a trek, cycling, kayaking and games, all in the price. A host can run team games here.

3. Evening

   Tea, a bonfire and dinner. An act or an awards session fits after dinner.

4. Next morning

   Breakfast, then the drive back.

Ruby Gracia told us her company work is of two kinds: award and announcement evenings, and team-bonding days at resorts and offsites, with games. Sushmita Sethia's full day runs from morning to evening. One Goa agency's plan is a facilitated activity and then a talk about what the team learned from it.

Rafting, ziplines and treks. Karnataka is only now drafting safety rules for adventure activities. Officials began after a man fell from a Dandeli zipline. Ask the operator who runs it, how they're trained, and whether they have life jackets in every size. Forest treks need a guide and a booking on the forest portal. Plan something for the people who don't swim or trek, so sitting out doesn't single anyone out.