[androdev]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

To be honest I would pick the Tumkur route and go all the way up to Bellary ring road and then hit the Tornagallu road. The Rampur route is scenic , but it is slow and goes through small villages and some rough patches. Kids tend to get cranky in such situations. The fact that my daughter puked on this stretch doesn't bring back pleasant memories. The Bellary road is smooth and steady and though going all the way upto Bellary ring road is longer, timewise it should be the same.

The Ananthpur route is fine to too, just that there are too many speed breakers and some road work is going on. Six months down the line once the work is over this should be my preferred option. OC to Ananthpur took me 2 Hrs 45 mins for 155 kms.

Hey thanks a ton, I am also traveling with kids so appreciate the details. I stay in the north bangalore and NH7 till anantpur will be a breeze for me. And I dread the Yeshwantpur/Tumkur road traffic. So I am tempted to take Anantpur road if Anantpur-Bellary-OC isn't a total killjoy.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by androdev

Hey thanks a ton, I am also traveling with kids so appreciate the details. I stay in the north bangalore and NH7 till anantpur will be a breeze for me. And I dread the Yeshwantpur/Tumkur road traffic. So I am tempted to take Anantpur road if Anantpur-Bellary-OC isn't a total killjoy.

Ananthpur Bellary isn't a total killjoy by any means. Certain stretches are very good, while others are slow due to narrowing roads, speed breakers and population. Try taking the Bellary ring road to get to Hospet road instead of going through the town. Google map shows an additional distance of 5 kms, but it should make your life easier.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Ananthpur Bellary isn't a total killjoy by any means. Certain stretches are very good, while others are slow due to narrowing roads, speed breakers and population. Try taking the Bellary ring road to get to Hospet road instead of going through the town. Google map shows an additional distance of 5 kms, but it should make your life easier.

That's good to know. Decided to take Ananthpur route. Yeshwanthpur route dampens my holiday spirit like no other, which I take often while going towards Kunigal.

Did you go on the "guided tours" offered by the hotel? Any tips on things-to-do while there?

Thanks and won't bug you any more

[NPV]

Originally Posted by androdev

Did you go on the "guided tours" offered by the hotel? Any tips on things-to-do while there?

I would suggest to go with a guide absolutely at Vittala Temple (also has stone chariot, the musical stone pillars, etc inside the complex) and Virupaksha temple. The other places can be covered leisurely even without a guide.

For good coverage of places at Hampi, I would suggest:
-half-day at Vittala temple starting early morning if possible
-full day at Hampi ruins + Virupaksha temple, there's lots to see. Or break it down into 2 half days for a more leisurely trip. You can take the car close to most of the ruins and then walk a bit around the place
-if you have time, visit the Pattabhirama temple and ASI museum. This is probably closer to Orange County near the SH 131 off Kamlapur

[vsathyap]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Orange County Hampi is fully complete, although some landscaping and gardening work is still going on. The resort itself is quite magnificent and they've spent a lot of money on it. Its not a kid friendly resort. The have this waterway kind of theme going on with paths with no railings. Dim lighting everywhere and not much activities for kids. One thing we felt was the food quality was definitely not upto usual OC high standards. For the entire drive way they have laid stone slabs without polishing and grinding. This is a punishment for cars. Even the joints haven't been filled with any grout. Supposed to give a royal ethnic kind of look. Sharp corners and edges are a danger to tyres. This stone driveway is nearly 300 metres long .

Hi Santoshbhat, I had been to OC resorts during August 1st week. When did you visit the place? Fully agree with whatever you have posted! We had a tough time making our toddler not "fall" into the gaps between the stone-walkways over the water and the dim lighting adds to the problem at night. They could have probably used LED strips to make the edges more visible. I heard some guest fell into the water in the darkness! Bang on with the food bit too - not up to OC standards and yes - oh God those stone pathways leading up to the resort are a killer!

I took the Challakere-Rampura-Ubbalagundi-Toranagallu-Hampi route on both ways and enjoyed the drive (albeit a little longer than expected). Nice pictures of the resort! I'm yet to work on my pics and once done, I'll probably post a quick TL.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by androdev

That's good to know. Decided to take Ananthpur route. Yeshwanthpur route dampens my holiday spirit like no other, which I take often while going towards Kunigal.

Did you go on the "guided tours" offered by the hotel? Any tips on things-to-do while there?

Thanks and won't bug you any more

No we did not take the guided tours. My son is just one year old so we needed some flexibility in terms of time. We drove out and quickly returned back after visiting just one of the ruins spot after the kids complained of the hot sun . We spent just 2 nights over there. Not many things to do as such inside the resort except walking around and spending time in the pool and gorging on the food.

[KartikBN]

Originally Posted by vsathyap

I took the Challakere-Rampura-Ubbalagundi-Toranagallu-Hampi route on both ways and enjoyed the drive (albeit a little longer than expected). Nice pictures of the resort! I'm yet to work on my pics and once done, I'll probably post a quick TL.

Hey vsathyap/fellow BHPians,
We are planning 3 days to Hampi and booked Hyatt. Leave Bangalore, Jayanagar, Ashoka pillar at 6:00 AM on 10 Sept. We are driving an Innova and a Honda city 2011. 10 adults and a 3 year old baby. We are planning to take Tumkur-Hiriyur-Challakere-Rampura-Ubbalagandi-Hyatt. Would this route be good/perfect? We plan to have breakfast at Kamat-Dobbaspet. Carry few snacks for on the way. Few things to keep in mind.

1. Is the route safe for the baby? Especially the Rampura-Ubbalagandi, as I saw a few pics they look great but just thinking on safety. We are however kannadigas language is not at all a problem. Do we get cellphone coverage in that stretch? Hope there are no major bad stretches.

2. Since I drive a Honda City, which has low GC, I will have 4 ppl in my car with a fair amount of baggage in the boot. Are there any bad/unscientific speed breakers which may cause damage to my cards underbelly?



We are yet to plan our other itinerary as the main reason for this holiday is the toddler who is turning 3 years on Sept 11. Please guide me appropriately.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by KartikBN

1. Is the route safe for the baby? Especially the Rampura-Ubbalagandi, as I saw a few pics they look great but just thinking on safety. We are however kannadigas language is not at all a problem. Do we get cellphone coverage in that stretch? Hope there are no major bad stretches.

As per reports here, this route is fine overall. I don't think there are any safety issues as such, moreover you are driving in the day time. The biggest drawback may be the lack of facilities, especially since you have small children traveling. Look up SantoshBhat's posts, he stopped at couple of places on the way.

Cellphone coverage at some places may be an issue, BSNL is probably going to be better at such places.

2. Since I drive a Honda City, which has low GC, I will have 4 ppl in my car with a fair amount of baggage in the boot. Are there any bad/unscientific speed breakers which may cause damage to my cards underbelly?

Whether you take this route or the one via Chitradurga-Hospet, there are speed breakers and rumbler strips and should be manageable mostly. Since you have 4 people in the Honda City, you need to exercise some caution when negotiating these.

How many days do you have for this trip ? Based on that we can suggest an itinerary.

[KartikBN]

Hey Thanks NPV. Would you suggest the Challakere-Rampura route or the Chitradurga-Hospet one? My only concern is the routes/roads. The last I remember going to Hampi was in the 90's. Also it's going to be 6 of us who are 60+ in age.

Itinerary is like this.
Day 1: Reach Hyatt by 13:00 Hrs, rest till 15:00. Leave to TB dam or Hampi(Virupaksha temple/surrounding places). Planning on having dinner at Mango tree since I've heard/read good reviews. Do let me know your opinion too!
Day 2: Leave early by 8:00, See prominent places in Hampi, mainly ruins. Try to wind up by 16:00 Hrs. As we want to spend the evening at the Hotel premises(Birthday celebrations and just relax at the pool)
Day 3: Sept 12, We have kept the day open. Still not planned. But we are thinking of leaving Toranagallu by 14:00 Hrs. So any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by KartikBN

As we want to spend the evening at the Hotel premises(Birthday celebrations and just relax at the pool)

Dont have high expectations from this Hyatt & I think the pool closes by 6 PM. More details here

[KartikBN]

Very well Composed and ton of an information you have given us there. Thanks procrj. I will keep the things mentioned in your travelogue.

[ramases6]

Just returned from a road trip from Bangalore to Hampi. Outbound was via Tumkur Huriyur Chalakere Hospet. After the turn off right at Huliyur towards Chalakere the condition of the road is poor. Also, landing work in progress all the way towards Hospet. Heavy lorry traffic both ways too. Technically, Google suggests I saved 35 km one way but I would not do that again till the landing work is complete. Kilo Alpha is spot on in his description of this stretch.
Return route was via Toranagallu -Bellary- Ananthpur. Till Bellary the rode is narrow, bad at a few stretches but progress was slow due to large herds of sheep , cattle , horses with their legs tied to restrict their movement and haphazardly parked vehicles. But it's an interesting drive if time is not a factor. Took the bypass at Bellary to Anantpur. The drive from Anantpur to Bangalore was fine with long stretches of good road and scenery. Minimum toll booths and with minimum waiting too. Routed to Whitefield via Budigere avoiding the Bangalore traffic .
Journeys done by day. My recommendation; choose a route where the roads reviews are better. On a holiday , I would not mind adding extra kilometres for comfort. Kinder on the car as well. Plan food halts on the highways. Instead of breaking for lunch at Ananthpur, I would have been better off planning a stop along the highway . Many choices along the route that looked inviting.

[androdev]

I have done Bangalore (Hebbal area) - Ananthapur (NH7) - Bellary ring road - Hampi - Bellary ring road - Challakere - Hiriyur (NH4) - Bangalore (ISKCON area) recently.

NH7: 4-lane road, very smooth, 3 toll stops, hardly any traffic (a huge +ve for me), not barricaded like NH4 so watch out for some stray animals, etc.
NH4: 6-lane road, 4 toll stops, full of trucks (a huge -ve for me), barricaded properly so no dogs, etc.
Anantapur to Bellary Ring road: 100KM, no broken sections but some work is in progress, not much traffic, slow/narrow 2-lane road expect avg speed of 40-50 kmph
Challakera to Bellary Ring road: 140KM, wide 2-lane road, has lot of worn out rumble strings, not much traffic, expect avg speeds of 60-70 kmph. This is a much better road than Ananthpur-Bellary but is also longer 140 vs 100, so no real advantage.
Bellary Ring Road: Few XL sized speed breakers, one broken section of railway crossing, 2 tolls. No traffic, fast road.
Bellary to Hampi: No broken sections, slow 2 lane road with truck traffic, avg 40kmph,

If you live close to NH7, I would recommend taking NH7 for safe and stress free driving. NH4 has just way too many trucks and you just pray that they don't change lanes when you are passing them. NH7 is smoother, straighter and always almost empty. Ananthpur-Bellary and Hiriyur-Bellary offer the same levels of comfort and travel time.

Hampi will now be a popular family holiday destination from Bangalore due to opening of Orange County resort there.

[NPV]

After decades of struggle, a bridge connecting Anegundi with the historical places in Hampi is finally set to be thrown open to tourists soon.
...

Source:New bridge to finally connect Anegundi with Hampi soon

This should help execute trip plans covering both Hampi and Anegundi

[luvurride]

Folks,
I see the NH4/Challakere and NH7 as two options listed to reach Hampi. But what about the NH50 - the shortest route? Appreciate if you can throw some light if I had missed out any key information on avoiding this route.