[harshmishr]

I was in Hampi on Nov 22 and 23. Took the shortest route as shown in Google Maps: Hyd-Mahbubnagar-Raichur-Sindhanur-Gangavathi-Hospet

Left at 4 AM in my Zen Estillo. The first 80 kms was a breeze, the usual Hyd Bangalore NH. The route from the time when left the NH and reached the Mahbubnagar-Raichur highway was not that great as road construction was in progress but was not that bad either. The route from Mahbubnagar to Raichur was good. It was a state highway with 2 way traffic but was able to maintain 100-110 km/hr. Not much options to eat on the way, however you can find the occasional chai place for small breaks.

Raichur was riddled with speed breakers and the traffic was thick too. However the view of the cooling towers from the power plant made up for it The route fro the end of Raichur city to Sindhanur is the second best stretch. The view is good and you can easily cruise at above 100 km/hr. The occasional potholes are there and you need to keep a close watch.

The moment you take the left from Gangavathi to Kampli is a nightmare. The stretch is for around 8 km and is back breaking. There is no way you can maneuver through the pot holes and is a nightmare for a hatchback driver. The situation maybe a bit better if you have a SUV. This 8 km stretch was the low point of this route but apart from that everything is manageable.

The last 30 kms or so is picturesque. You pass through some villages and there is the occasional cow/goat herd that block your way but it not for long and you will enjoy it. As you come closer to Hampi, the view of the rocks will start mesmerizing you. Don't cruise in this stretch as there are potholes surprises in many places. A comfortable speed would be 50-70 km/hr.

As I was staying in Hotel Malligi, crossed the Hampi entry to go to hotel first. Freshened up and headed straight to Mango Tree. The drive took around 7 and half hours. After lunch got a guide for Rs 500 who showed us around the major places. The guide was quite knowledgeable. The day ended with a beautiful sunset ahead of the Mustard Ganesha. Chilled out in the hotel in the evening.

Next day was spent Swimming and in Spa. The hotel is quite good in that respect. Even the complimentary breakfast was good. Left the place at around 12 PM and followed the same route. Did encounter the usual weekend highway traffic and the return journey took around 8 hours.

As there are not many places to visit during the weekend from Hyderabad, if you want a quick get away then Hampi is the place. Of course half a day is not even close to exploring Hampi, but if your motive is a good drive and getting out for a couple of days, I would definitely recommend this place.

[jeetaman]

Watch this guys!

http://www.msn.com/en-in/travel/dest...2908?ocid=iehp

[Niel@Figo]

Can anyone give feedback about Hyderabad - Gulbarga - Hampi route?

plus any suggestions on stay in Gulbarga?

[paharino1]

hi
Did anyone take the hyd-mahbubnagar-raichur-sindhnur-gangawati-hampi route recently ?

Or the longer NH route of Hyd - Gooty-Bellary-Hospet-Hampi is now better ? Hyd to Gooty was always a breeze..but from Gooty to Hospet was always in question..any updates from any recent travellers ?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by paharino1

hi
Did anyone take the hyd-mahbubnagar-raichur-sindhnur-gangawati-hampi route recently ?

Or the longer NH route of Hyd - Gooty-Bellary-Hospet-Hampi is now better ? Hyd to Gooty was always a breeze..but from Gooty to Hospet was always in question..any updates from any recent travellers ?

Did you do this trip?

Would appreciate an update as I am planning on driving from Hyderabad to Hampi tomorrow morning.

I did do the Hyderabad to Gangavathi in January this year and all I remember is the crazy traffic.

[paharino1]

Originally Posted by bblost

Did you do this trip?

Would appreciate an update as I am planning on driving from Hyderabad to Hampi tomorrow morning.

I did do the Hyderabad to Gangavathi in January this year and all I remember is the crazy traffic.

Hi,
Yes..Hyd to Gooty is smooth on NH7
Gooty to Hospet is a mixed bag - took around 3.5 hrs with a combination of some stretches of poor ( around 20%), average ( 50%) & good ( 30%) - It took around 7.5 hrs for me Hyd - Hampi, with a 30 min break. I came back via the same road as well.
The adv with this route is that even if you start late from Hampi - you need a 3-4 hr window before you hit NH7 - Not possible if you take the Hampi - Gangawati- Raichur-Mehboobnagar - Hyd route

[condor]

@BBLost, pretty much same updates as paharino1. Was there recently.

Diesel is cheaper by 4 Rs in Bellary & towards KA interior. Do watch out for 3-4 sharp turns between Gooty & Guntakal - these are in the first 25% of the distance when you start from Gooty. No good food / rest room facilities after Gooty and upto Bellary.

[bblost]

Thanks guys. I took the Gooty - Guntakal route today and am posting this from near the steel mill.

There were a couple of horrible stretches between Gooty and Bellari. But only needed me to slow down. No major issues.

[bblost]

We decided that we will have a holiday this weekend. So a quick check and realized that Hampi at approx 450 kms from my home is a good destination.

Expedia showed a Hyatt Place close by. Its in fact inside a colony called Vidhyanagar that is beside the Jindal Steel Works.

The hotel was a bit pricey at almost 6k all inclusive per night. But it had some really good reviews and I decided to book it for two nights.

It was about 6 hours away from my home and we reached it on Friday around 1 PM.

Checked into the room and then had lunch(buffet).
The food spread was limited but it tasted delicious.

After a quick nap we walked down to a near by lake. The hotel staff had given us a packet of puffed rice for the ducks there. My kids had a lot of fun feeding the ducks.

Too tired to go down for dinner we ordered a simple Paneer Kofta curry and rotis. It was again a lovely dinner and my daughter liked it a lot.

The next day enjoyed the complimentary breakfast buffet.
My kids are 4.5 and 2 years old. It is very important that they like the food. They did. Which meant we could relax easy.

Drove down to Hampi for sightseeing and after checking the place and getting dog tired, we reached the Mango Tree.
Its like an Oasis for hungry people. Awesome (veg) food and very friendly service. We had a pizza, pasta and nutella roti.

Returned to the hotel by evening and chilled out for some time.

Then for dinner had the buffet spread. It was a lot more elaborate that what we had had for lunch and excellent.

Left for Hyderabad the next day.

Choosing The Hyatt Place was one of the best decisions in this trip.

The only con is that the room size was small.
But everything from the food to the service was amazing.

Guys like Vayu at The Hyatt are amazing. Simple gestures like walking us out to the car and getting extra bottles of water for our trip.

I highly recommend http://hampi.place.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

[Sachi]

Hello All,
I am planning a trip from Hyderabad to Hampi. After having read the thread above, the route via Gooty and Bellary(although long) appeals to me more than the Raichur one as most of it is on NH 7.

I might be wrong, but I feel that most BHPians are inclined to use the Raichur road. Any comments? I have already decided to use the Gooty-Bellary route when I travel to Hampi. Can anyone also let me know good eating/resting places on this route?

Thanks.

[pramodallamraju]

Sachi, have you tried the Gooty route? Am planning a drive and wanted some feedback please. Thanks for the note on Hyatt!!

[Sachi]

No, not gone yet. Going this weekend.I am going to post my experience on the Gooty road once i am back.

[Sachi]

Originally Posted by Sachi

No, not gone yet. Going this weekend.I am going to post my experience on the Gooty road once i am back.

All,

Drove to Hampi on 24th September via Gooty, Guntakal and Bellary route. Came back on 26th September.

Hyd to Gooty - smooth as butter on NH7

Gooty to Hampi - roads are still good and smooth, baring a few patches (which come up suddenly) and speed breakers near Guntakal, Gooty and other villages on the way. So beware of sudden bad patches and speed breakers for the safety of your car suspension and underbelly . Additionally, you will find huge trucks plying on the roads because of the JSW Steel mill near Toranagallu area. Hence high speeds cannot be maintained here like in NH7. So this streach of approx. 150 kms will take around 4 hours to cover non-stop.


One more thing, it rained heavily in Hampi and surrounding areas on 25th September night. Hence while coming back,we had to take a detour (approx, 22 kms after Bellary) to Uravakonda on the way to Guntakal and Gooty. This was an extra 35 kms which took even more time. So in case of heavy rains, this area might throw up a few surprises like these and the time to travel might go up between Gooty and Hampi.

I will still recommend this route instead of the Raichur road for visiting Hampi from Hyderabad.

[deepv]

Originally Posted by Sachi

All,

Drove to Hampi on 24th September via Gooty, Guntakal and Bellary route. ...

How much time did you take overall?
I suppose its around 450kms via this route.

[Sachi]

Originally Posted by deepv

How much time did you take overall?
I suppose its around 450kms via this route.

Yes. You are correct. It is around 450 kms. via this route. Took us almost 9 hours to cover this which included 2-3 short breaks of around 1 hr 15 mins in total. So actual drive of 7 hours 45 mins (approx).