[mobike008]

Raichur to Gangawati will take you 3-3.5 hours maximum and road conditions are excellent. But, that entire stretch only be wary of speedbreakers.

Other than that, you can close your eyes and step on the gas

[prasad14]

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Mantralaya to Hampi

edit - your query : raichur to mantralaya is very bad. please do not attempt.

Thanks RoamingRao. Forgot to mention that the Lakshmi temple at Kallur is a must visit. So, I have no option but to somehow go to Raichur.

Prasad

[roamingrao]

Originally Posted by prasad14

Lakshmi temple at Kallur is a must visit. So, I have no option but to somehow go to Raichur

Mantralaya to Raichur :

The state of makeshift bridge over Tungabhadra ( mantralaya side ). Traffic jams throughout the day. crossing the river itself may take close to half hour.








Road condition : Extremely bumpy ( and rocky at some places ) for the entire 40 odd kms from Mantralaya to Raichur. Last week, it took 2 hours 15 mins for my relatives to drive the stretch in an Innova. They say its horrible !

could you explore the possibility of taking a train to Raichur ( kallur ) and back from Mantralayam road Rly stn ? could save lot of time and hardship.

Else, the longer stretch of Adoni - Siruguppa - Sindhanur - Raichur is the only option

[raghu230506]

Thanks Roaming Roa, I was searching for these pics which I took a month ago on my visit to Mantralayam, I took this route as friends insisted while returning to Hyd and I cursed myself.

My All New Honda City literally crawled on this bridge section, rocks rocks and rocks every where. I started early in the morning and missed the traffic at this part.

After this crossing, for next 15kms or so (not sure exactly) there is no road. It's not bumpy but it's a mud road all the way till I reached Raichur.

I went to Mantralaym via the following route

Hyd - Kurnool - Yemmiganur - Mantralayam

Kurnool - Yemmiganur - Mantralayam stretch is a single road, but in a good conditions (apart from uneven surfaces there were no pot holes).

[ranjitp1]

Does somebody have an update on road conditions of NH63 between Gooty and Hospet?

[RoadTiger]

Time for another Hampi trip !

1. Any update on roads between Gooty and Hospet, especially post start of rains?
2. How is the Gangawati - Budugumpa Xroads - Hospet stretch in terms of truck traffic?
3. How is the Gangawati - Anegundi - Hospet road which runs parallel to the T'bhadra?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by RoadTiger

Time for another Hampi trip !

1. Any update on roads between Gooty and Hospet, especially post start of rains?

A friend travelled HYD-Hampi a couple of weeks back via the NH7-NH63 route from Gooty and reported good roads throughout.He took about 6-7leisurely hours.

[RoadTiger]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

A friend travelled HYD-Hampi a couple of weeks back via the NH7-NH63 route from Gooty and reported good roads throughout.He took about 6-7leisurely hours.

Thanks, ranjitp1.

Sounds like the NH7 - NH63 route is the way to go ... Have done the Raichur - Gangawati route in both of my previous trips - Time to try a new route !

[RoadTiger]

For all you Hampi lovers, did Hyd-Hampi-Hyd on the weekend and here's a comparo of the 2 key route options.

Did Hyd (Hitech city) to Hampi in 6.5 hrs via Gooty - Bellary - Hampi ... about 470 kms

- Hyd - Gooty (NH7 now known as NH44) - 310 kms - Everyone knows how good the B'lore highway is ... Nothing much to report. Did this in about 3.5 hours with a 10 min break, driving at 100-125 kmph for the most part

- Gooty - Hampi (NH63) - 150 kms - took about 3 hours.
The roads from Gooty - Guntakal and outskirts of Bellary to Hospet are decently fine. Can do 80 kmph for most part - usual 2lane state highway - not too many potholes. However, there are pretty high bumps before and after every village and lots of villages to go through.

The road from Guntakal to Bellary byepass and till the outskirts of Bellary are ok - motorable - few potholes etc. However, truck traffic is pretty heavy and the villages are a pain to go through

In summary, this route is a contrast of sorts - brilliant 310 kms till Gooty and slow progress due to zillion high bumps, truck traffic and narrow roads in villages from Gooty to Hospet.

We took a marking that said "Way to Jungle Lodges and Resorts" just 10 kms before Hospet to take a nice road directly to Hampi.

Did Hospet (Hotel Malligi) to Hyd (HiTech City) in 7 hrs via Kamalapur - Kampli - Gangawati - Raichur - Mehboobnagar - Hyd ... about 390 kms

There are no contrasts on this route. This road is uniformly very good.

Hospet - Kamalapur - Kampli - Gangawati: This road is fantastic now. It used to be stone and gravel at one point of time between Gangawati and Kampli. But is all brilliantly surfaced now. Ditto for the Kampli - Kamalapur stretch which has no potholes, smooth tarmac. Took 1 hour for the 40 odd kms.

Gangawati - Raichur : Everyone knows about how good this road is. Nice 2-laned highway, smooth tarmac. Was raining in this stretch, so was doing about 80-90 kmph

Raichur - Mehboobnagar : This road has no potholes, smooth tarmac, has been re-surfaced in parts and potholes filled up well in others. Much improved vs. say 12-18 months back when you had avoid a lot of potholes. Please remember to take right where there is a red-light with a sign that says, "B'lore right, Hyd straight" ... This allows you to travel for 10 kms and hit the B'lore highway, bypassing all the crazy traffic in M'nagar.

M'nagar (Jadcherla) to Hyd : Same old B'lore- Hyd highway.

My personal preference is the 2nd route (via Raichur) despite that it takes roughly the same time for the 2 routes because:
- Consistently good roads
- Consistently sparse/ moderate truck traffic
- Very scenic esp in Kamlapur - Kampli stretch and the Raichur- G'wati stretch
- Bumps are much smaller ... the single small bump or rumble strips
- Less toll (if that counts for something)
- Less kms (about 70-80 kms less)
- The road has more 'character' .. if you know what i mean

Cheers

[roamingrao]

Thank you for the update, RoadTiger. Good to know the improved kamalapur - Kampli - Gangawati stretch.

Talking of this region, more good news for those visiting Mantralayam from Hyderabad. The reconstruction of the bridge across Tungabhadra is complete and is scheduled to open in two weeks ( Aug 3rd ) though it remains to be seen if the 30 odd km Raichur - Mantralayam road is being repaired too.

[adimicra]

Hey RoadTiger,
thanks for the wonderful update.. Planning to go to Hampi in mid-August.

Plan is to start on a Friday, reach there by noon..
Start back from Hampi on Sunday noon.

Can you suggest a good itinerary for the same? I understand that there is the Tungabhadra dam apart from the historical remains. Anything else which I should cover?

Also, what would be your recommendation for hotels? Do you suggest the Maligi resort or anything else? I found out that Royal Orchids also has a hotel at Hospet, don;t know how good it will be.Another alternative is to stay at the Jungle Lodges and resorts. Currently, somewhat confused about the accomondation.

Budget is approx 2-2.5K per day for accomodation.

Please provide your suggestions!

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Can you suggest a good itinerary for the same? I understand that there is the Tungabhadra dam apart from the historical remains. Anything else which I should cover?

Also, what would be your recommendation for hotels? Do you suggest the Maligi resort or anything else? I found out that Royal Orchids also has a hotel at Hospet, don;t know how good it will be.Another alternative is to stay at the Jungle Lodges and resorts. Currently, somewhat confused about the accomondation.

Budget is approx 2-2.5K per day for accomodation.

Royal Orchid Kireeti is the best there at the moment,but would be out of your budget of 2-2.5k.Rooms are in the range of 3.5k and above at ROK.When in Hampi do try and do a visit to the Daroji Sloth Bear sanctuary which is a one of its kind place for Sloth Bears.Another expensive option to stay is the Sandur Shivilas Palace which has now been converted into a hotel and is managed by the WelcomHeritage group.

WelcomHeritage Shivavilas Palace, Sandur | Heritage Hotels in Sandur | Sandur Hotels

[adimicra]

Ranjit,
thanks a lot for such a prompt reply.
Do you recommend trying out the Jungle Lodges accomodation?

I will try to find out the best possible deals for Royal Orchid and see if I can stretch my budget for that. I have had very pleasant stays at Royal Orchid always.

I am thinking on the following itinerary -
Day 1, arrive by 1 PM, have lunch and relax. Visit to Tungabhadra dam, sunset.
Day 2 - Hampi guided tour
Day 3 - ??? have lunch by 12 and start back.

Any suggestions on that?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Ranjit,
thanks a lot for such a prompt reply.
Do you recommend trying out the Jungle Lodges accomodation?

I will try to find out the best possible deals for Royal Orchid and see if I can stretch my budget for that. I have had very pleasant stays at Royal Orchid always.

I am thinking on the following itinerary -
Day 1, arrive by 1 PM, have lunch and relax. Visit to Tungabhadra dam, sunset.
Day 2 - Hampi guided tour
Day 3 - ??? have lunch by 12 and start back.

Any suggestions on that?

Jungle lodges is also good and staff and service is also very nice.I would give malligi a miss and either go to kireeti or jungle lodges.Kireeti has a monsoon package which includes hampi tour as well.They are open to bargainingweekends might be tough.

On your itinerary i guess you could do the sloth bear sanctuary in the evening when the bears come to take away their dinner placed by the forest dept at strategic places.

Other than that the itinerary looks perfect

[RoadTiger]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

On your itinerary i guess you could do the sloth bear sanctuary in the evening when the bears come to take away their dinner placed by the forest dept at strategic places.

Other than that the itinerary looks perfect

ranjitp1's comments are on the mark, as usual.

A few things to add:
Hotel
- Hotel Malligi offers excellent rooms for the price (about INR 1500+taxes for standard). Lots of t-bhpians have been there and havent seen one bad review about the place. It is a nice place with central lawn, fountain, adequate parking, 2-3 restaurants (incl. at pool-side one). Rooms have tea/coffee makers, mini-fridge (takes long to cool, though) and clean bathrooms. Most importantl, the hotel staff is v. courteous and helpful. We had an amazing time. I'd recommend the food, too. The place is about 30 mins drive from most Hampi attractions.
- Havent tried R. Orchid - and am sure the place is good like other R. Orchid properties - but this'd bust the upper end of the INR 2500 budget
- The JLR place looked quite nice, cottage accomodation in the wildnerness, v.close to the Daroji bear sanctuar. Again, should be a nice place but will more than bust the budget.

Itinerary
- Day 1: Reach around 1 pm. Drive straight to Mango Tree Restaurant in Hampi. Nice place next to the T'bhadra river. The food is simple and good - its the ambience thats the killer. The juices and lassis are nice. The restaurant is in the middle of banana plantations with some huge mango trees around. Drive towards Hampi and drive towards Vitthala temple and 4-5 kms further to see some nice views of boulders and fields. Head to Hospet to checkin to the hotel and head out through Hospet to TB Dam for the evening. Bear in mind, one needs to walk almost half a km from the parking lot to get to the gardens, fountain etc.

- Day 2 : Start early. Most attractions open around 7 am - so, earlier in the day, the better. Hire a guide at the KTDC counter near Virupaksha temple or from the hotel itself. Take a guided tour of Hampi. One should finish around 4-5 pm latest, even if one has a 10 am start. Go the Ram temple on the Kamalapur-Kampli main road (<1 km further towards Kampli on the main road, after the left turn on the main road that leads to Vithala temple) Visit the temple and head behind it for 'sunset' point for a fabulous sunset.

Attempt to squeeze in a trip to the Daroji bear sanc one of the days post 4 pm. This is about 8-9 kms, if one takes the left towards the museum and continue straight ahead.

- Day 3: Head to Virupaksha temple and take a boat to cross to the other side. Take an auto and head to the hill with Hanuman temple on top. Its a steep climb that takes about 30-45 mins. Head back

Cheers !