[DeepChat]

I am going to Hampi tomorrow for a 3 day trip. I will be staying at Hospet. I'll update the thread with the road conditions once I get back. After going thru the thread, I have decided to use the Tumkur-Chitradurga-Hospet route.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by DeepChat

I am going to Hampi tomorrow for a 3 day trip. I will be staying at Hospet. I'll update the thread with the road conditions once I get back. After going thru the thread, I have decided to use the Tumkur-Chitradurga-Hospet route.

Please do and could you also enlighten us on how to get to north bank of tungabadhra where we will be staying at http://mowglihampi.com/ . I plan to go there on 21st, for 2 days. Am planning C'duga hampi route.

[DeepChat]

As planned, I visited Hampi over the weekend. I followed the Tumkur-Chitradurga-Kudigi-Hospet route on NH4 and NH13.

Road Condition:

I would rate the road condition as very good. NH4 till Chitradurga has a number of deviations due to construction activity. But all the service roads are freshly surfaced and eminently driveable. Just keep a lookout for autos that are going in the opposite direction on these service roads. Once at Chitradurga, keep a lookout for a board indicating the way to NH13. NH13 is a 2 lane road without a median (a blessing since you have to frequently overtake trucks). The surface for the first 10 kms is freshly laid. No problems there. Then there is a 20 km stretch with a lot of potholes and breaks. You'll have to take this stretch at reduced speeds and a lot of maneuvering to keep from being thrown around. After that, the road is freshly surfaced almost till Hospet. No problems at all. Keep a lookout for upcoming villages, as there will be a couple of speed breakers and rumblers in the vicinity. I did not face any traffic outside Hospet near the tunnel construction. It took me 5 hrs 15 mins from Yeshwantpur station to Royal Orchid in Hospet (including a 30 minute coffee/snack break). The return trip took about 6 hrs as we had more breaks.

Places to stop:

As others have mentioned, there are 3 Kamat Upchars, as well as a CCD on NH4. So a little planning should let you have breakfast or an early lunch at one of these places. Once you get on NH13, there are a few dhabas with very fancy names. I would say these are strictly for the adventurous.

Originally Posted by goandude

Please do and could you also enlighten us on how to get to north bank of tungabadhra where we will be staying at http://mowglihampi.com/ . I plan to go there on 21st, for 2 days. Am planning C'duga hampi route.

Crossing to the north bank:
While using the NH4 and NH13 route - after crossing Kudigi, once you reach the Tungabhadra Reservoir, continue straight towards Munirabad (NH63) instead of turning right towards Hospet. You will see a right turn going away towards Gangawati. Follow this route to reach Mowgli Guest House. Overall this is an additional 30 Kms of driving. This was the route that our guide also recommended.
Most of the important historical structures are on this side of the river. So I guess you will have to use the ferry to cross the river and then use a autorickshaw to roam around. The sites are about 15 mins from the ferry crossing point. If you are game, you can drive the 30 kms back into Hospet. The advantage is that you can drive from one point to another. Walking around in the sun can get tiring. I advice you hire a guide. If you are interested, I can recommend a really good one.

[Swifdeep]

Hello All,
I have to attend a social function in Bellary on the 1st of December and will have to travel by car on Friday night (departure after 8PM only). Kindly advise on the best and safe road?

4 of us will be travelling and we plan to leave Bangalore after dinner.

[explorer09]

Not sure about safety ( with regards to night driving ) but the best road would be the NH4 till Hiriyur and then the state highway ( i think SH 19) to Bellary. I last drove on it more than 2 years back though so you may want to check on the current conditions. Back then it was an absolute joy to drive on.

[jacs]

Originally Posted by explorer09

Not sure about safety ( with regards to night driving ) but the best road would be the NH4 till Hiriyur and then the state highway ( i think SH 19) to Bellary. I last drove on it more than 2 years back though so you may want to check on the current conditions. Back then it was an absolute joy to drive on.

I travelled about an year back and that too with a gang containing five male adults. Never felt unsecure

Jokes apart, there are alien streches in the Hampi drive with just some trucks and may not be so safe if one is travelling alone or couple and especially if in need of some help.

And on road conditions, I heard its improved a lot than when we went but still rough stretches are there. Please be prepared to drive patiently in Hiriyur - Chelekere - Bellary stretch especially when driving late.

[pulsurge]

If it wasn't for night driving I would have suggested to go via Kamalapur-Daroji Bear Sanctuary-Kudatini-Bellary. Its a beautiful stretch.

The only other route is via Hospet to Bellary and I rode there last week. Well there is nothing called as road...the craters were so huge, it broke our backs. Plus the reckless and drunk iron-ore truck drivers are a nuisance as well as danger to your life. So you have to be careful of both.

[vdiatech]

Hi, I just got back from a day trip of Bangalore-Bellary-Daroji-Gangwati - Bangalore.

Its amazing how the roads can go bad in just a few months.

Bangalore to Bellary was an awesome drive as usual, other than the diversions on the NH until Hiriyur. From Hriyur, the state highway to Bellary is really good. Other than the 'n' number of speed breakers before and after the villages and sometimes, at some bends ! Slowed down while approaching villages .

I left RR Nagar at 5am, took the nice road, tumkur road and branched off at Hiriyur towards Bellary.Reached Bellary at 9am. Non-stop driving. Avg speeds between 80-120kmph

On the Bellary Hospet Road, , branched off at Kuduthini towards Daroji and Kampli. The Bellary hospet road is non-existent ! Its a real pain, but it was just a short stretch for me till Kuduthini.

Couple of months back, Kuduthini- Kampli road was well laid it was a pleasant drive. Now, a few craters all the way along.

First stop was at Daroji, where I recently bought a few acres of Agri Land. A few minutes later on , towards Kampli-Gangawati for some pampering by the in-laws lol. Kampli-Gangawathi stretch was even worse than the Bellary to Hospet Road. The last 60 kms from Bellary, took me an hour and a half including the stop at Daroji, thanks to the bad roads !

Left Gangawati at 1pm after lunch and took the same route back. Upto Hiriyur , good pace and then on the NH, was slowed down by the traffic and long queues at the tolls ! Reached home at 8pm sharp !

Car used was wifey's i10 1.2 kappa2. I got mileage of 16.7 kms, tankful to tankful calculation with 50% AC use. ( BLR-GVT no AC used at all, but on the way back, full AC) and the no.of passenger including the driver was 1 (!!)with no baggage other than a few redbulls and bottle of water !

[Swifdeep]

Originally Posted by jacs

I travelled about an year back and that too with a gang containing five male adults. Never felt unsecure

Jokes apart, there are alien streches in the Hampi drive with just some trucks and may not be so safe if one is travelling alone or couple and especially if in need of some help.

And on road conditions, I heard its improved a lot than when we went but still rough stretches are there. Please be prepared to drive patiently in Hiriyur - Chelekere - Bellary stretch especially when driving late.

Originally Posted by pulsurge

If it wasn't for night driving I would have suggested to go via Kamalapur-Daroji Bear Sanctuary-Kudatini-Bellary. Its a beautiful stretch.

The only other route is via Hospet to Bellary and I rode there last week. Well there is nothing called as road...the craters were so huge, it broke our backs. Plus the reckless and drunk iron-ore truck drivers are a nuisance as well as danger to your life. So you have to be careful of both.

Originally Posted by explorer09

Not sure about safety ( with regards to night driving ) but the best road would be the NH4 till Hiriyur and then the state highway ( i think SH 19) to Bellary. I last drove on it more than 2 years back though so you may want to check on the current conditions. Back then it was an absolute joy to drive on.

Thanks explorer09, jacs, pulsurge,


I took the Hiriyur, Challakere, Hanagal route, the road was in really good condition, except for the unmarked humps (rumble strips). The traffic was sparse and majority were trucks. Started (Bangalore east) at 6:30PM and reached Bellary by 12:45AM with about 40 mins break for dinner close to HIriyur. For once I did not encounter any traffic jams be it in Bangalore or beyond.


Took the Bellary, Uravakonda, Anantapur, Devanahalli, Bangalore road on the return journey, started at 2PM and arrived at home (Bangalore east) by 7PM with about 15mins tea break after the first toll gate we encountered after Anantapur. About 10kms of this stretch, at the Karnataka-AP border is potholed but the road until Anantapur is otherwise good. Thereafter it is the NH7 and it is absolutely fine, this being 4 laned with hardly any traffic until you reach Bangalore.


Depending on which part of the city one lives, you can choose the road, I felt the return route was lot relaxing (due to lesser traffic) and was convenient for me to reach my place. However a late evening/night journey may not be a very good proposition on the Bllry – Uravakonda – Anantapur stretch, as there are long uninhabited stretches. Better avoided.

[vipulbatta]

Planning a trip to Hampi in Feb with wife and kid. Most important for choosing a route is that the road condition should be good, don't mind a few extra kilometers. All highway driving will be during the day and most probably the trip will be on a weekday. Can someone please recommend the best route to take?
Thanks in Advance!

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by vipulbatta

Planning a trip to Hampi in Feb with wife and kid. Most important for choosing a route is that the road condition should be good, don't mind a few extra kilometers. All highway driving will be during the day and most probably the trip will be on a weekday. Can someone please recommend the best route to take?
Thanks in Advance!

I did this route over the last 2 days. Pls follow the below route which i guess is the best one to reach Hampi.

1. Bangalore - Tumkur - Sira - Hiriyur- Chitradurga (all NH4) - deviate at Chitradurga and take NH13 route to Hospet. Hampi is right next door to Hospet (all within 10kms radius).

You have multiple stay options at Hospet like Malligi, Royal Orchid, Shanbhagh International etc.

It took me 6 hours to reach Hospet from Bangalore with two breaks of half an hour each. I left at 7AM and was in Hospet by 1PM. You will find places to eat till Chitradurga only. Total distance till Hospet is around 340kms.

The roads till Chitradurga (NH4) is pretty good with 4 lanes, with lot of diversion as construction is still going on. The road from Chitradurga to Hospet is an undivided 2 lane and good as well, but this road is full of truck traffic and you have to be extremely careful driving on this road as you will have to overtake a zillion trucks on the way to hospet. The last 20 kms is bad. Also do watch out for a lot of speedbrakers which are unmarked on the way.

You can take the same route back to Bangalore. I left Hospet at 5PM and was in Bangalore by 11PM (door to door) with a break.

[vipulbatta]

Thanks NFS2024! This is very useful. One follow up question. I stay at Marathahalli, so to get to Tumkur road, is taking NICE road (From E-City entry) better to driving on ORR through Hebbal? From google maps, Hebbal route looks shorter, but I am guessing NICE will be faster and hassle-free.

[dass]

Originally Posted by vipulbatta

Thanks NFS2024! This is very useful. One follow up question. I stay at Marathahalli, so to get to Tumkur road, is taking NICE road (From E-City entry) better to driving on ORR through Hebbal? From google maps, Hebbal route looks shorter, but I am guessing NICE will be faster and hassle-free.

It depends on the time of the day you plan to leave. If you leave early morning, taking the ORR from Marathalli through hebbal would be smooth. A word of caution though, there is a level crossing at gorgentepalya on this road, if you were to be unlucky to get stuck in there, it takes away atleast 30 mins..

[ampere]

Originally Posted by vipulbatta

Thanks NFS2024! This is very useful. One follow up question. I stay at Marathahalli, so to get to Tumkur road, is taking NICE road (From E-City entry) better to driving on ORR through Hebbal? From google maps, Hebbal route looks shorter, but I am guessing NICE will be faster and hassle-free.

Originally Posted by dass

It depends on the time of the day you plan to leave. If you leave early morning, taking the ORR from Marathalli through hebbal would be smooth. A word of caution though, there is a level crossing at gorgentepalya on this road, if you were to be unlucky to get stuck in there, it takes away atleast 30 mins..

I would suggest start early morning and go through the city. Thats much better.
Airport Road- MG Road-Cauvery Theater-Mekri Circle - IISc - Yeshwantpur-Nelamanagala.

Do not if you take the road from Cauvery Theater to toward Basham circle, you need to go via Malleshwaram. Access to Yashwantpur from this side is blocked.

[vipulbatta]

Thanks Dass and Ampere. Most probably will try the city route. Leaving on 4th Feb AM.