[Buffetfan]

I know this is not on cars per se....but a Palio GTX, 2 Balenos (Lxi & Vxi) and a Corolla want to go from Hyderabad to Hospet....can someone please tell the route...
There are a couple of options...
A. Hyderabad-Mahboobnagar-raichur-sindhrur-gangawati-Hospet

B. Hyderabad-Gooty (or Gunti...whatever :-) )-Guntakal-Bellary-Hospet..
Can anyone let us know from recent expereince which road is better off (I know A is shorter by 50+ kms and is the route that APSRTC buses take?

Any quick (within one hour) help will be appreciated...

Mods..apologoes for posting this query....but ...can we start another area for discussion of the best drives that India has to offer..and maybe then this will go there

[amip]

Hi,

Have often done long road trips earlier - any information on the route & road conditions from Hyderabad to Hampi would be welcome - planning to do this end of May - I do know its going to be sweltering at that time!

[hrag]

amip, the fastest route would be

Hyderabad - NH7 - Kurnool - Gooty - NH63 - Bellary - Hampi

NH7 should be in good condition till Gooty. I'm not sure about NH63 from Gooty till Hampi.

[srishiva]

See if you can postpone it by a month. Since you have to walk to get the real beauty of Hampi, it would be very very tiring. Its not just about being hot, you have to walk around the terrain thats mostly granite.

[hvkumar]

I have been on the Gooty-Guntakal-Bellary road 2 years ago, and the road in the AP-Karnataka border area was awful. There are absolutely no facilities after you leave Guntakal till you reach Bellary. But this is the fastest and shortest route, doable in 6/7 hours.

[amip]

doesn't sound too encouraging - are there any better routes?

[whitesquall]

Originally Posted by amip

doesn't sound too encouraging - are there any better routes?

Do Hyderabad - Humnabad - Gulbarga - Jewargi - Shahapur - Gangawati - Hospet - Hampi. The roads are excellent. Do consider postponing your tour till this summer gets over.

[amip]

Thanks Whitesquall! Any estimation of the distance through this route? Do you think this would be any better towards the begining of July?

Going to Hampi is always better after Rainy season(after August) and before Jan/Feb. In 2006 we went to Hampi in 2nd week of Jan and we found some times it is uncomfortable even in Jan. So Donot attempt to go in Summer period.

[spadival]

I would reckon any route which includes Bellary would have been reduced to rubble by the mining trucks!

[whitesquall]

Originally Posted by amip

Thanks Whitesquall! Any estimation of the distance through this route? Do you think this would be any better towards the begining of July?

The distance will be around 700 Kms approx. The season to avoid will be the whole summer season plus one or two month either side of the season!!! Better if you can schedule it to aug/sept.

[sforsarang]

Friends,

I am planning to drive down to Hampi this friday. We are planning to start early morning 5 from Hyderabad and return on Sunday night. Has anyone recently done this trip? I have a few Queries and any inputs will be of great help.

1) From Gachibowli, can I take outer ring road till shamshabad and join Bangalore highway? Its that same route isnt it? Then till Jadcherla, and should I take gooty or Raichur?

2) How's the latest road condition?

3) I tried calling hotel Mayura bhuvaneshwari and Shanthi guest house but nobody is picking up. Can I get a decent accomodation (for family) either in hospet or hampi at runtime? Any idea on charges and service?

4) Any other places to visit around? Is it enough to have 2 days in Hampi for sightseeing?

5) Any other misc info will be of huge help.

Please reply urgently if you know anything about any of the queries.

Thanks in advance...

[ExtremeTorque]

Sarang, check your PM, i shared my mobile no. I did this recently (3 weeks ago) with family. Below is the TL and the query i posted. All that you need...

TL - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...mpt-ruins.html

Query i posted here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...jog-falls.html

[ExtremeTorque]

Originally Posted by sforsarang

1) From Gachibowli, can I take outer ring road till shamshabad and join Bangalore highway? Its that same route isnt it? Then till Jadcherla, and should I take gooty or Raichur?

2) How's the latest road condition?

3) I tried calling hotel Mayura bhuvaneshwari and Shanthi guest house but nobody is picking up. Can I get a decent accomodation (for family) either in hospet or hampi at runtime? Any idea on charges and service?

4) Any other places to visit around? Is it enough to have 2 days in Hampi for sightseeing?

5) Any other misc info will be of huge help.

Hope you checked my TL & the Query...

1) You are right. Take the ORR to join NH7. Take a diversion at Jadcharla to pass via MBNR and then Riachur to Hampi.

2) Excellent roads, except for the Sangapur-Anegondi stretch after Gangawati (only 10 KM) but dont go via Hospet as it passess through NH13 that is really bad.

3) www.malligihotels.com is the best i have heard and it did look decent (1500 per night). Hotel Malligi, 08394 228101, J.N Road, Hospet.
We stayed at Hotel Priyadarshini and it is decent with ample parking space (800 Per night). 45 Station Road, 08394-228838/39. Just call them and place the reservation, they dont have a online system to charge you before you arrive.

4) 2 Days is more than enough. You can hire bicycles or even 2 wheeler motorcycles. other places to visit are the Tungabhadra dam, Linganamakki dam and the tungabhadra reservoir.

5) If you are going around in Hampi in your car, hire a guide. They charge around 300-500 (Do bargain). Carry water, lots of it! You will have no language challenges. They all speak fluent Telugu, Kannada (ofcourse), Hindi, English.

[roamingrao]

Hi sforsarang,

Stay - Hotel Malligi it must be !

Around Hospet / Hampi - Tungabhadra Dam ( visit early morning ). Linganamakki dam and Jog falls may not be possible in 2 days with Hampi.

We have, in the previous three visits to Hampi, managed to get good guides at the KSTDC counter ( Bazaar street opposite Virupaksha temple ). Please contact Mr. Venkatesh on 08394 241339. He will help you in getting a good guide.

Most guides charge Rs. 800 - 1000 for a ten hour tour per day ( its off season now - charges may be less ). It is suggested you stay in hampi for atleast 3 days, if not for 4 days ( one day each - Sacred places, royal enclosures, anegundi and last day to revisit your choice of place at leisure ). May seem long, but trust me, its worth every second.

Mallikarjuna is a very good narrator in Kannada and Telugu and we found his story telling abilities very absorbing - not sure if he could speak fluent English or Hindi. His number - 94499 81201

D Vijaya kumar ( 94496 54524 ) speaks excellent english and hindi and has good knowledge about the ruins - we enjoyed his descriptive narration

Raghava ( 94486 40836 ) also speaks good english.

Virupakshi ( 94485 84227 ) mostly caters to foreign tourists. He charges Rs 2000 per day. He has been in hampi for 20 years and has worked with John Fritz and George michell. He has the reputation of being the best guide in Hampi. He himself admits he's expensive - but transforms hampi like no one else does - book your days in advance.

Hope this helps..