[mohan41]

If I take the Hiriyur-challakere-Bellary route, should I go via Hospet to reach Hampi? The reason I am asking is because Google maps shows me another road to Hampi from Bellari (Daroji-Kamalapura road) which deviates from NH63 and goes via Daroji reservoir. Any idea of the condition of this route and how is it compared to the NH63 to Hospet? It seems slightly shorter too.

thanks

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by mohan41

If I take the Hiriyur-challakere-Bellary route, should I go via Hospet to reach Hampi? The reason I am asking is because Google maps shows me another road to Hampi from Bellari (Daroji-Kamalapura road) which deviates from NH63 and goes via Daroji reservoir. Any idea of the condition of this route and how is it compared to the NH63 to Hospet? It seems slightly shorter too.

thanks

Don't take Daroji route unless you have any plans of going to the Daroji bear sanctuary.

At Kudithini, Google maps shows a straight road towards daroji instead of the right adjacent to the Bellary thermal power plant.
Daroji road is really bad for the frst 10 kms and the last 5 kms.

I had taken this road some time ago just to see the condition.
Though my Punto managed very well, the accompanying wagonR struggled.

Bangalore-Tumkur-Hiriyur-Challakere-Bellary bypass-Hospet-Hampi is the best one for now.

[byzantine]

Hi,

Drove to Hampi from Bangalore last Friday. At the onset, many thanks to several contributers out here whose posts helped me a lot with the trip. Can't thank enough!

Onward Journey to Hampi:

Route: Sarjapur Road>>Hiriyur>>Bellary Bypass>>Kudatini>>Kamalapur>>Hampi (went through the city in Bangalore via Kormangala Sony World Signal>>Museum Road>>Yehalanka)

Start Time: 5:25 AM

Location Distance from Home Time Taken

Kamat (Tumkur) 68 Kms 1:15

Hiriyur Right Turn 178 Kms 1:14

Bellary Bypass 319.5 Kms 2:20
Left Turn

Kamalapur Mayura Bhubhaneswari 378 Kms 1:30


Total Driving Time: 6 hours and 19 minutes

Total Break Time enroute: 40 minutes (2 breaks, one in Kamat and the other somewhere between Hiriyur and Challakere)

Notes: Route till Hiriyur is awesome, could sustain speed of 145 Kmph for relatively long durations, though got stuck behind some trucks for some time, and there are a couple of small diversions as a result of some construction work.

Hiriyur to Bellary bypass is also pretty good. As reported in various posts in the forum, the rumble strips are the killer - but if you are driving in broad daylight, you would be able to see them from an adequate enough distance. Was able to sustain top speed of 120Kmph for relatively long durations. Apart from when passing through Challakere and ~5kms from the bypass, there was negligible traffic.

Hiriyur to Kudatini is ok. There are potholes that cannot be missed, there are big humps that are not quite visible till its too late, but one can easily drive at 80kmph for most part of the stretch. Some parts are really bad though, and you will have to crawl at 15kmph.

Kudatini to Kamalapur was the worst decision of the trip. Googlemaps had shown that one could shave off 20 kms if one takes this route. Since our hotel was in Kamalapur, decided to give it a shot. The initial part is decent apart from the fact that it is a narrow road. Had a real scare when a bullock cart from nowhere decided to cut across my path with full gutso, not sure how I managed to not hit the bullocks/ drive down the ditch. Anyway, the road soon becomes next to undrivable in some time. There is a stretch of 2 kms where there is no road. There were huge rollers and other big machine trucks trying to lay the road. As a result, the already narrow road was stretched thin. Got stuck behind a long queue of buses and trucks - regretted the decision immensely. After that stretch, the road becomes alright once again (meaning there is a potholed road, any road after those 2 kms would be alright) apart from one particular culvert over which there is a stream flowing. Since you can never know the road condition underneath still or flowing water, tried crawling through that stretch of 10m. But good ol Murphy just had to intervene, and ended up driving right over a deep pot hole.

Rest of the drive was ok. Had to ask for directions for the hotel, and managed to reach the hotel in one piece.

Return Journey to Bangalore:

Route: Hampi>>Hospet>>Bellary Bypass>>Hiriyur>>Nice Road>>Sarjapur Road

Start Time: 3:10 PM from Hyderabad House, Hospet

Location Distance from Start Point Time Taken

Bellary Bypass 66 Kms 1:20

Hiriyur Right Turn 207 Kms 2:10

Home @ Sarj Rd 403 Kms 3:00


Total Driving Time: 6 hours and 40 minutes

Total Break Time enroute: 20 minutes (1 break at a tea stall just before joining NH4 at Hiriyur)

Notes: Wanted to a. avoid making the same mistake of taking the off beaten track b. reach Hiriyur before dark as driving in an unfenced road while being blinded by oncoming headlights is not my cup of tea. Point "a." was taken care of since we wanted to lunch in Hospet. However, we got late at lunch and were delayed by 40 minutes from what we had planned. Hence, had to drive the last 40 minutes in conditions that I absolutely don't like. Anyway, Hospet to Kudatini was way much better, apart from the usual humps, rumble strips and odd pot holes.

Not much to write home about during the return journey, apart from three helmet less idiots on a bike who wanted to show off bike stunts on the NH4.

We returned on Saturday night since we had a Christmas party to attend to. Drove 870 Kms in 2 days - apart from a few stretches as mentioned above, was exhilarated with the drive.

Cheers,
Byzi

[rogercharlie]

Spent last week visiting Hampi, Aihole, Puttadakal and Badami. Many thanks to the folks on Team-BHP who gave excellent advice on the route to be taken.

The Bangalore->Hiriyur->Challakere->Bellary Bypass->Hospet route is the best. Very comfortable high speed driving all the way.

The only part that was not pleasant was on the Bellary Bypass to Hospet section when I crossed the village/town of Torangallu (near Jindal Steel Plant). This is probably the dirtiest and most chaotic village I have ever seen. But there is no escaping this as there is no way around Torangallu.

What would be valuable for folks reading this thread is advice on the road to take from Hospet in case you are planning to visit Aihole, Pattadkal and Badami. But before that - if you are driving to Hampi, please do not miss the chance to go see Aihole, Pattadkal and Badami. The archeological sites here are simply awesome!

I took the advice of our travel agent and took NH13 North from Hospet till Hungud, and then turned left for Amingad and Aihole. The NH13 is being 4 laned and the truck traffic is very very heavy. Any accident/breakdown brings traffic to a complete halt (I lost one hour as a KSTDC bus had an accident and had blocked the road for traffic in both directions). Even after I turned off NH13, the traffic was quite heavy with tractors and bullock carts and the roads are average.

The journey of a little over 100km took 3 painful hours. By the time we reached Aihole, I was quite tired because of the terrible driving conditions.

On the way back, I took the Badami->Ron->Gadag->Koppal->Hospet route on the advice of the front desk of Badami Court Hotel. The drive took 3 hours (with a couple of bio breaks) but the drive was fantastic. We zipped at 100 to 120 kmph as the roads are excellent and virtually empty. We arrived at Hospet fresh and ready to go for some more sightseeing.

I would recommend that a) do go and see Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal if you are driving all the way to Hampi and b) take the Koppal->Gadag->Ron->Badami->Pattadkal-Aihole route and back.

One final word of advice, it is a shame that Aihole and Patadkal have no decent eating joints, or for that matter toilets. Carry your own food and water and take bio breaks in the fields before you reach these towns.

[AvonA7]

Originally Posted by rogercharlie

...
On the way back, I took the Badami->Ron->Gadag->Koppal->Hospet route on the advice of the front desk of Badami Court Hotel. The drive took 3 hours (with a couple of bio breaks) but the drive was fantastic. We zipped at 100 to 120 kmph as the roads are excellent and virtually empty. We arrived at Hospet fresh and ready to go for some more sightseeing.

I would recommend that a) do go and see Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal if you are driving all the way to Hampi and b) take the Koppal->Gadag->Ron->Badami->Pattadkal-Aihole route and back.

One final word of advice, it is a shame that Aihole and Patadkal have no decent eating joints, or for that matter toilets. Carry your own food and water and take bio breaks in the fields before you reach these towns.

Thanks @rogercharlie for the update.

Recently visited Hampi, however couldn't cover Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole due to shortage of leaves, planning to go in the next few months. Can you help answer few queries -

a. Is it possible to visit the three places starting early in the morning from Hospet, say by 7am and come back by evening, 6-7pm ?

b. You mentioned, not much eating joints at Aihole and Pattadkal, is it the same in Badami too ? Or is there any decent stay option at Badami.

[Su-47]

Visited Hampi en-route to Mumbai just before Christmas. Thanks to the wonderful advice on the forum, took SH19 from Hiriyur. Lovely views:


There are speedbreakers now and then, but they are usually present around sharp curves or near town. In general, the surface quality is very good:


Since we were booked at KSTDC's Mayura Bhuvaneshwari (lousy place, nice location) in Kamalapura, the GPS was suggesting that we don't go to Hospet and take a fork at SH29. Asked a local in a village before the fork and he suggested the same.


However, the road condition for about 3-4 Kms on this road is really bad. There is no top layer and the road is just stones and cinder. It appears to be under construction and will hopefully be better in a while. See below:



From HSR layout took Hosur Road reach NICE Road, and the total distance came to Mayura came to 400 Kms. Started at 6:55AM and reached at 1:15PM, with two breaks of 10 and 15 mins respectively. Was pleasantly surprised that the road conditions are good enough to reach Hampi in less than 6 hours of driving time with a very moderately paced drive.

Cheers,
Su-47

[rogercharlie]

Originally Posted by AvonA7

Thanks @rogercharlie for the update.

Recently visited Hampi, however couldn't cover Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole due to shortage of leaves, planning to go in the next few months. Can you help answer few queries -

a. Is it possible to visit the three places starting early in the morning from Hospet, say by 7am and come back by evening, 6-7pm ?

b. You mentioned, not much eating joints at Aihole and Pattadkal, is it the same in Badami too ? Or is there any decent stay option at Badami.

Yes you can. I would recommend that you take the Hospet->Koppal->Gadag->Ron->Badami->Pattadkal->Aihole route and back. I stayed the night at Hotel Badami Court. You can have a brunch here and then do the Badami/Patadkal/Aihole circuit and then head back after once more stopping at Badami Court for refreshments and bio break.

Alternatively you can stay at Badami Court for the night. Very nice clean place, with very good service and not too expensive. If you call ahead they can also arrange a guide to show you the place. I would recommend taking a guide because they are able to give much more insight into the archeological sites.

[naveencp]

Hi all,

I am planning for a North Karnataka road trip to include – Hampi, TB Dam, Aihole, Pattadkal, Badami and Gol Gumbaz. Plan is for 4-5 days around Jan 20 timeframe. Any suggestions on a possible itenary and also on the route to take with night halt options. I have an option of staying one night at a relative’s place in Bagalkot. I am assuming its doable on my Punto!

Thanks in advance.

Naveen

[naveencp]

Originally Posted by rogercharlie

Yes you can. I would recommend that you take the Hospet->Koppal->Gadag->Ron->Badami->Pattadkal->Aihole route and back. I stayed the night at Hotel Badami Court. You can have a brunch here and then do the Badami/Patadkal/Aihole circuit and then head back after once more stopping at Badami Court for refreshments and bio break.

Alternatively you can stay at Badami Court for the night. Very nice clean place, with very good service and not too expensive. If you call ahead they can also arrange a guide to show you the place. I would recommend taking a guide because they are able to give much more insight into the archeological sites.

Hi,

I have a question on this. If I leave Hospet early in the morning say 7AM. Can I do a Badami, Pattadkal, Aihole and reach Bagalkot by 6-7PM? Wanted to understand if that would be too much to do in a single day. Based on ur reco will do a Hospet->Koppal->Gadag->Ron->Badami->Pattadkal->Aihole.

Any suggestions on route from Aihole to Bagalkot? Per google maps, looks like I can latch onto Raichur Bagalkot SH and make it to Bagalkot. Any idea on the road condition?

Thanks in advance.

Naveen

[rogercharlie]

Originally Posted by naveencp

Hi,

I have a question on this. If I leave Hospet early in the morning say 7AM. Can I do a Badami, Pattadkal, Aihole and reach Bagalkot by 6-7PM? Wanted to understand if that would be too much to do in a single day. Based on ur reco will do a Hospet->Koppal->Gadag->Ron->Badami->Pattadkal->Aihole.

Any suggestions on route from Aihole to Bagalkot? Per google maps, looks like I can latch onto Raichur Bagalkot SH and make it to Bagalkot. Any idea on the road condition?

Thanks in advance.

Naveen

Yes - looking at google maps that seems to be the best bet. Though I have not been on that road towards Bagalkot.

If you leave Hospet by 7AM you will be at Badami by 10AM. Badami caves etc. can be seen in 2 hours - that takes you to 12 noon. I suggest you have an early lunch at Badami head for Patadkal. Badami to Patadakal is about 45 mins. Seeing Patadkal will take an hour. From there driving time to Aihole is no more than 30 mins. You need an hour at Aihole. From there go to Amingadh and catch the Raichir Bagalkot Road. You should be able to make it to Bagalkot by 6 or 7PM.

I took the Raichur Bagalkot road from Hungud to Amingad to get to Aihole and the road was decent. I see no reason why it should not be OK from Amingad to Bagalkot.

[sarba]

Originally Posted by rogercharlie

The only part that was not pleasant was on the Bellary Bypass to Hospet section when I crossed the village/town of Torangallu (near Jindal Steel Plant). This is probably the dirtiest and most chaotic village I have ever seen. But there is no escaping this as there is no way around Torangallu.

Just before entering Torangallu (from Bellary), there is a road on the left which goes towards Jindal Steel plant. That road merges with the NH after Torangallu village. The JSP road is relatively better and wider. Did not see any big mining truck on that road - but that could be because of the republic day holiday. One could use this to bypass the village road.

[roamingrao]

Originally Posted by sarba

Just before entering Torangallu (from Bellary), there is a road on the left which goes towards Jindal Steel plant. That road merges with the NH after Torangallu village

No Sarba, that road does not merge with NH63 after torangallu, unless one turns right at JSW old gate ( just after the hospital) to rejoin the highway. Yes, this way, the worst part of the village is byepassed.

The road which you mention, if continued, goes past the airport and to Sandur.

The old option : Bangalore - Chitradurga - Hospet ( nh4 / nh13 ) is good now and can be done in 5 hours. No potholes whatsoever. update : Jan 1st.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by roamingrao

The old option : Bangalore - Chitradurga - Hospet ( nh4 / nh13 ) is good now and can be done in 5 hours. No potholes whatsoever. update : Jan 1st.

So there is no need for the SH now? Also what are options for break on NH13 beyond Chitradurga?
Any decent place?

[roamingrao]

Originally Posted by ampere

So there is no need for the SH now? Also what are options for break on NH13 beyond Chitradurga?
Any decent place?

Yes, NH13 from Chitradurga to Hospet is good now, very small stretches of patch work near Kudligi byepass, being totally relaid in some parts. no delays.

my timings: Bangalore 915am ( NICE junction ) - Chitradurga 1230pm - hospet 315pm with 45 min break at tumkur.

Chitradurga - Hospet : Decent ( family type ) facilities non existent for the entire 140 km stretch except for dhabas for truck drivers and some small shops for biscuits and cool drinks.

[naveencp]

Hi all,

I did Hospet-Bangalore last week on the Hospet-> Bellary -> Challakere-> Hiriyur-> Tumkur-> Bangalore route based on inputs in this forum.

Left Hospet at 10:30 AM and reached Bellary Bye-pass by 12:00 Noon. The road has truck traffic and road condition isnt good. Lot of rumble strips and humps. Can avg around 40-50. Avoid Tornagallu village and take the road via Jindal, it'll join the NH back.

Once you hit Bellary bye-pass road is good all the way till Hiriyur. No issues whatsoever.

Note : There are set of 4-5 humps every now and then on the road, but most of them have evened out and u dont even need to break. But an odd one in between is still intact, so be a little careful.

No decent eating joints on this stretch though. The first one you would hit is Kamat Upachar just after Sira.

After 12:00 Noon at Bellary bye pass, was at home in Bannerghatta road at 5:45 PM. (with a 30 mins break in Tumkur). So that was very good speed!!