[mobike008]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

@mobike008----you've left some portions uncovered in your report, such as the stretch between Jadcherla and Mehboobnagar and also the one between Raichur and Gangawati.

Further, what was the other route you took on your return between Mehboobnanar and RGIA Jn?

By the way, I think it is Hotel Malligi, and not Malliga, but I may be wrong.

I edited my previous posted and added that update as well.

Your right, its Hotel Malligi

Originally Posted by RoadTiger

Look fwd to your travelogue - How was the Hampi experience as a first-timer?

Hampi experience was very nice and like you said it will transport you to the 16th century and you feel as if your part of Krishnadevaraya Dynasty.

On Monday morning, I was almost expecting the mantri's, daasis at my beckon, until my wife rudely awakened me from my dream

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by mobike008

On Monday morning, I was almost expecting the mantri's, daasis at my beckon, until my wife rudely awakened me from my dream

I wish all your dreams come true,
so, keep dreaming.

Expecting a travelogue.

[kage9091]

Is this a good time to drive from Hyderabad to Hampi?

Please suggest a good route.

[kage9091]

Originally Posted by kage9091

Is this a good time to drive from Hyderabad to Hampi?

Please suggest a good route.

Thanks mobike008 for the report!

[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?

[gajadonga]

Gangawathi-Kamalapur seems to be bad according to the update.
I would suggest from Gangawathi continue till Budugumpa Cross and from there to Hospet
would be a better option.
The road conditions are the same from Raichur to Budugumpa Cross

[kage9091]

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.

[RoadTiger]

Originally Posted by 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. :-)

I was on my way out post lunch ... and was good to see a fellow BHP-ian's car. Hope to bump into you sometime and exchange notes on Hampi. I am a big fan of the place ... for its ability to detach you from the modern world and transport you to a by-gone era ... also, there are also so many magnificent rock formations that leave you wonderstruck about how they were positioned that way !

I did see the Rajasthani place in my last visit too but didnt venture in ... How was the food at the Rajasthani place - better than most places in Hampi/ Malligi?

@gajadonga : I agree the road from Gangawati to Hospet via Boothkampa cross-roads is a much better option to reach Hospet ! Thanks.

[vivek_vt]

Did you guys go to the reservoir lake (near hanuman temple) I have always found that to be the highlight of the trip. sitting on top of boulders by the side of that serene lake with mountains and boulders in the background

hampi, karnataka - Google Maps

Also the other route from gangawati to hospet (not via kampli) is much better. I have marked that on google maps by the name of gangawati-Hospet road. Didnt used to exist earlier. This is the road to take if you want to go to the other side of the river in hampi by car. Even the reservoir I am talking about can be accessed by this road.

Mango tree always reminds me of the delicious nutella pancakes they serve

[kage9091]

Originally Posted by RoadTiger

I was on my way out post lunch ... and was good to see a fellow BHP-ian's car. Hope to bump into you sometime and exchange notes on Hampi. I am a big fan of the place ... for its ability to detach you from the modern world and transport you to a by-gone era ... also, there are also so many magnificent rock formations that leave you wonderstruck about how they were positioned that way !

I did see the Rajasthani place in my last visit too but didnt venture in ... How was the food at the Rajasthani place - better than most places in Hampi/ Malligi?

@gajadonga : I agree the road from Gangawati to Hospet via Boothkampa cross-roads is a much better option to reach Hospet ! Thanks.

Hampi has left me wanting to come back to it again and again. The ruins and the landscape is mesmerizing. I would love to hear more about Hampi and Anegundi from fellow BHPians. Hope to meet you in Hampi and enjoy a chit chat about the place.

@gajadonga, I'll try the Boothkampa X roads route the next time for sure. Cheers!

[kage9091]

Originally Posted by vivek_vt

Did you guys go to the reservoir lake (near hanuman temple) I have always found that to be the highlight of the trip. sitting on top of boulders by the side of that serene lake with mountains and boulders in the background

hampi, karnataka - Google Maps

Also the other route from gangawati to hospet (not via kampli) is much better. I have marked that on google maps by the name of gangawati-Hospet road. Didnt used to exist earlier. This is the road to take if you want to go to the other side of the river in hampi by car. Even the reservoir I am talking about can be accessed by this road.

Mango tree always reminds me of the delicious nutella pancakes they serve

@vivek_vt, I think I took the route that you have mentioned to go from Hospet to Anegundi.

If going from Hospet->take a right turn at TB Dam roundabout->go a few kilometers and take another right turn to Anegundi (Gangawati to Hospet via Anegundi - Google Maps) this will lead up to Gangawati. It is not marked all the way upto Gangawati on Google Maps but still gives an idea about the route.

I missed the reservoir. It will go there next time.
Anjana Matha Temple, Karnataka - Google Maps
I had driven straight up to Anjana Matha Temple.

[kage9091]

@vivek_vt, Are these the routes you are talking about?

I've drawn the route from Gangawati to Hospet via Anegundi on Google Maps. I had to split the route into 2 maps due to some issue with Google Maps.

Gangawati to Gangawati-Hospet Road via Anegundi - Google Maps
Gangawati-Hospet Road to Hospet - Google Maps

Here is a screenshot of the 2 combined maps:
(You can also see the Budugumpa X roads route mentioned by gajadonga above the blue line)

[kage9091]

kagetrip

[soulweaver]

I took the slightly longer road via Gooty. Barring a few bad patches here and there, the roads were excellent all through.

After Gooty, we left NH7 and entered the two lane highway. The roads near Bellary were a little patchy but maintaining 80-90 will not be a problem on most roads. There are however some surprise potholes (especially if you are driving at night)

Dajori Reservoir was beautiful and if you are interested in wildlife - try visiting the Daroji Bear Sanctuary.

From Hampi, we took an absolutely scenic (and an absolutely dark) road to anegondi. The star-lit sky on the way (in the evening) and the paddy fields dotting the roads (bordered by huuuge boulders - in the afternoon) made the trip to anegondi worthwhile.

Hope this helps.

[RoadTiger]

Originally Posted by soulweaver

I took the slightly longer road via Gooty. Barring a few bad patches here and there, the roads were excellent all through.

After Gooty, we left NH7 and entered the two lane highway. The roads near Bellary were a little patchy but maintaining 80-90 will not be a problem on most roads. There are however some surprise potholes (especially if you are driving at night)

Thanks, Soulweaver (interesting name!).

I have wondered about taking this route earlier - but the reported road conditions from Gooty to Bellary have acted as a deterrent.

Can you mention
- The exact route you took
- Time taken in hours and the ride
- Road quality post NH7 (potholes, things to watch out for etc)

Thanks

Kage9091 - very nicely written travelog!