Quote:
Originally Posted by RoadTiger Made a short trip to Hampi. Weather was excellent and the drive scenic in most parts.
Few updates to the post from mobike008 on the roads:
1. Hyd - Mahbubnagar : No need to take the right under the flyover at Jadcherla to go to M'nagar. Instead, continue 10-11 kms on NH7 itself till Buthpur ... there are clear road signs that point to M'nagar on the right under a flyover ... Take the right and its another 10-odd kms to reach M'nagar. Road is smooth (this is the route mobike008 has mentioned in his previous post - thks!)
2. Gangawati - Kampli : This route is Terrible (with a capital 'T'). It has massive craters for a few kms ... and then, there is no tarring on the road at all ... so, you are grinding over gravel and stone for another few kms till you reach Kampli.
3. Kampli - Kamalapur : Very good for most parts (this was not tarred about 6-8 months back but is now pretty good except for the odd deep pothole)
Overall, took about 6.5 hours of driving time either way (spending 1 hour traveling the 25-odd kms from G'wati to Kamalapur, either way)
PS: Mango Tree Restaurant was good. Had the thali - and it was nice and simple as usual. Disclaimer : It has a nice home-made and wholesome taste to it .. nothing very fancy.
Also, saw a white Figo TDCi parked at Mango Tree with a t-bhp sticker. Had a UP registration. Was it kage9091? |
Yes, It was me at the Mango Tree on 17th Sept for a lunch break. I'm glad you spotted the T-BHP sticker and maybe next time we'll meet if we cross paths. :-)
The Mango Tree is good. The food is nice and the USP is the serenity of the river side location.
@RoadTiger, good report about the roads by you! I'll share a little more:
Roads:
Hyd - Mahbubnagar: A few kilometers of broken road on NH7 as construction of lanes is underway. I took the right turn under the flyover at Jadcherla and got into a narrow road with a few bad patches. Further on it took 20 mins to cross Mahbubnagar (10 kms.) during traffic hours.
Raichur- Gangawati: the road is great. It took some time to cross Sindhanur due to local traffic.
Kampli-Kamalapur: need to be careful of the half broken speed breakers in some village which scratched the Figo's underbelly.
The drive to
Vithala temple has narrow roads and you need to be careful going off-road while giving way to traffic. My Figo's passenger side was stuck in a deep chasm off the road when going downhill.
I did HYD-HOSPET in 7 hours and the same on the way back.
Stay:
Stayed from 16-19th Sept at the Malligi Hotel in Hospet. I had pre-booked a double occupancy AC standard room @Rs.1500+taxes. The room is spacious, has a mini-fridge and a decent room service. Complimentary buffet breakfast for 2 pax (included in room tariff). The hotel has a swimming pool and travel services (Hamsa Tours and Travels). I hired a guide for a day @Rs.900 and it was worth the money just for the photos he clicked of us. (wife and me) The guide's name is Hussain. I recommend this Hotel for overall comfort.
Eat and Drink:
Ate and drank at Temptations @ Malligi Hotel, The Mango Tree and The Heritage Village (a Rajasthani themed place@Rs.300 per pax for Rajasthani Dinner and camel/horse/ox cart ride and other village entertainment). This place is not a must see though.
Sight Seeing:
On the day of arrival, one can take a little rest and drive 5 kms to the Tungabhadra Dam. The sunset was not visible due to clouds in September. Winters would be good to catch sunsets from various hills around Hampi. There is nothing much to do after 6:30 pm in Hampi/Hospet so one can leave for TB Dam around 5:00 pm on the day of arrival.
Day 1: The guide took us around all the major sites in Hampi. He was knowledgeable and clicked great photos spontaneously. We left the hotel at around 8:15 AM and finished the tour at 5:30 PM.
Day 2: We went on our own without a guide. We started at 9:15 AM, and drove 35 kms to Anegundi. First we climbed the 600 steps up Anjani Parvat which is the birthplace of Hanumanji. Prasad is offered between 12-2PM daily here (rice+dal). Be careful as lot of monkeys accompany you here. The views are breathtaking and the sunset/sunrise is the best in the world. (Need to go in Winters or Summers to avoid clouds).
In Anegundi we saw
- Anegundi Lord Ranganatha Temple
- Chintamani Lord Shiva Temple
- Durga Temple and Bali Cave
I would need a weeks time to explore Hampi to get the feel of the place. In 2 days, I just had a great vacation. This time of the year was just right in terms of weather but missed the sunsets due to clouds. The temperature was around 25-27 degrees C with more humidity. Winters and Summers touch 40-45 degrees Celsius.