Belum Caves:Route and ratings

amohit · 22nd November 2007, 13:40

Hi,
Has anyone been to Belum caves?
Any idea of the route?
any info abt the place? Is this place worth 300kms drive?

Regards,

rkg · 22nd November 2007, 15:03

i think it is worth it. you can mix it with lepakshi, penukonda fort etc. i do not know whether it is before or after kurnool. it seems they are the longest caves (3.5km long)in plains in south india
you have similar caves in visakhapatnam district in eastern ghats called Borra caves

reachmash · 22nd November 2007, 15:48

Longest underground cave system in South India about 3.5 kms. long.

2 kms. of the area has been made accessible for public viewing.

Beautiful stalactite and stalagmite formations with a breathtaking view.

Underground water springs and streams developed.

Being integrated as the focal point of Cave systems of Kurnool
Facilities

Illumination and pathways provided.

Catering facilities provided.

Electronic gate has been installed.
@#6#Accommodation facilities are under construction.

Elaborate landscaping done.
Entry Fee: Adult Rs.25/-; Child Rs.15/-

More Details:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Punnami (Belum Caves)[/FONT] Ph:08510-236633 [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=1]Room Type[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=1]No.of Beds [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=1]Tariff (Rs)[/SIZE][/FONT]

Dormitory per Bed

32

40.00

[COLOR=#ff0000]
Note:[/COLOR] Tariff subject to change without prior notice. Faclities

Comfortable Accommodation

Dormitory

Restaurant
Suggested Route to Take:

Bangalore - Hindupur / Pennakonda - Anathapur - Thadapatri

after this you will have to follow the route toward Nandhyal. From the outskirts of Thadapatri within 30 KMS range you will see this place.

PVS · 1st December 2007, 14:58

If you have some spare time after visiting Belum caves, instead of taking the Tadipatri Ananthapur road back to Bangalore , you might want to take a detour. You might want to check out a road which branches off near Yadiki village on the Tadipatri - Gooty State Highway. This road rapidly gains height after leaving Yadiki, through a series of hair pin bends - goes through some remote villages, past a cement factory before joining the Allagadda - Gooty road at a place called Garladinne. From Gooty, you can get back to Bangalore.

I had done this route in a APSRTC bus circa 2003- found it to be good. If you want more info, I can refer my Eicher Road Atlas to help you.

amohit · 1st December 2007, 20:34

Thanks PVS. Belum is certainly next on my hit list

And i am seriously considering buying Eicher India Road Atlas...will go to sapna book house sometime next week..

Regards,

hvkumar · 1st December 2007, 23:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by amohit

Thanks PVS. Belum is certainly next on my hit list

And i am seriously considering buying Eicher India Road Atlas...will go to sapna book house sometime next week..

Regards,

Buy a good AP District Map (or district map books of various states) instead. Can't understand this fascination to buy such a shoddy product as the Eicher Road Atlas, which should be banned for inaccuracies.

Ketan · 2nd December 2007, 01:37

Your right Kumar Sir,
And I dont know how old this version is.. I guess this version is still hanging around for a decade or more!!! not sure but its really old..

OT: What do you think about the new satnav maps!! I'm planning to get the satguide along with the maps, heard they updated it recently!!

Mohit,
Please share your experiance about this place along with pics,, also post some other online resources if you found,, Looks like an interesting place and a very good reason to drive 300KMs away from Bangalore on a weekend...

condor · 2nd December 2007, 08:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

district map books of various states instead. Can't understand this fascination to buy such a shoddy product as the Eicher Road Atlas, which should be banned for inaccuracies

Have a TTK map (from AASI), but it isn't good. Can't figure out the exact location of towns that are marked on the map.

@hvkumar, would you know which are the good ones for district maps ?

amohit · 2nd December 2007, 08:27

sure will share the experiences.
by the way so far i have been using google maps(for inter and intra city) trips. have found them to be quite helpful.
only prob is that i've to plan the trip well in adv, take the printouts....and in case i deviate to some other interesting place midway...i'm without maps!

vnabhi · 2nd December 2007, 13:46

Hi guys,
Any idea how the caves are from Hyd? And the route?
Thanks

rkg · 2nd December 2007, 14:40

the main difference between belum caves and other caves like borra caves etc is these are in plain's i.e in open fields unlike other caves which are moslty in hills.
belum caves are underground . that is the main difference.from whatever i heard about them from my friends in AP they are very good

PVS · 3rd December 2007, 13:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Hi guys,
Any idea how the caves are from Hyd? And the route?
Thanks

You must have meant - 'Any idea how {far} the caves are from Hyd? And the route?'

The Caves are about 330 Kms from Hyderabad - Route is Hyderabad - Kurnool - Banaganapalle - Bellum Caves.

You may consider an early morning start of around 05:00 am from Hyderabad and drive down NH7 to Kurnool. On the way, at Beechupally, there is a bridge on the Krishna river, and a small temple as well. You can halt here for a small break.

If you are interested in temples, about 13 Kms before Kurnool, you can take a detour to your left and head off to the Jogulamba temples at Alampur. I believe the temple is closed after 12: 30 pm, till about 02:00 pm - if you can make it before 12: 30 pm, you can finish your darshan, and can have traditional Andhra lunch served one of the rooms adjacent to the temple. Lunch is free - and is tasty; of course the cooks would expect some generous tips from you.

I believe the road from Kurnool to Banaganapalle is in a decent shape - haven't travelled on it though. You can make the Hyderabad - Banaganapalle - Hyderabad trip in a day, if you move fast enough. Ford Fiesta is a competent highway car, and you should be having a comfortable drive.

The caves are definetely worth a visit!

vnabhi · 3rd December 2007, 16:51

Thanks PVS. That is exactly the info I was looking for!!

9tMax · 4th December 2007, 20:07

For going to Belum from hyd i will never suggest the kurnool-banganapalle route. Once you take the diversion from kurnool-nandyal highway towards banganapalle, though the road is ok initially, but just after a few km as you approach the place called betamcherla, it resembles more to lunar surface than a road. And that's bcoz of the heavy traffic of overloaded stone ladden trucks & tractors carrying the betamcherla stones to the hundreds of stone cutting and polishing factories on both sides of the road. In 2004, Dec. when we made our 1st attempt to go to belum via this route, we had to call off the mission mid-way from banganapalle after it took about 4 hours for us to travel about a 25-30 km stretch on this road and we reached banganapalle at about 3:30 in the afternoon.

A few months back, in August 2007, we went back again to complete the unfinished mission and this time we went via kurnool - gooty -tadipatri, with a night halt at tadipatri. This route is a much better and smoother option. Though the NH-7 is in a bad shape now due to the 4-laning work but the road from gooty to tadipatri was pretty good, wide and with very low traffic. From tadipatri, belum is a 30 km drive and the roads are much more motorable than the banganapalle route. And from hyd to tadipatri it is 365 km.

As for the caves, they are much bigger and longer than the Bora caves. Though i found that the rock formations are better in Bora but the experience of Belum was also pretty good and worth going all the way. Inside the cave u have to pass through some really narrow passages at some places with some real acrobatics and it was good. U can find some of the snaps of the cave here .

vnabhi · 5th December 2007, 15:03

Thanks 9tMax. That brings the one way distance to around 400 kms. Up n down on a single day would be too strenous.
Any good joint to rest overnight near Belum?

22nd November 2007, 13:40	#1
amohit BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 451 Thanked: 52 Times	Belum Caves:Route and ratings Hi, Has anyone been to Belum caves? Any idea of the route? any info abt the place? Is this place worth 300kms drive? Regards,
	() Thanks

22nd November 2007, 15:03	#2
rkg Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: bangalore Posts: 1,044 Thanked: 594 Times	i think it is worth it. you can mix it with lepakshi, penukonda fort etc. i do not know whether it is before or after kurnool. it seems they are the longest caves (3.5km long)in plains in south india you have similar caves in visakhapatnam district in eastern ghats called Borra caves
	() Thanks

22nd November 2007, 15:48	#3
reachmash BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98 Thanked: 0 Times	Longest underground cave system in South India about 3.5 kms. long. 2 kms. of the area has been made accessible for public viewing. Beautiful stalactite and stalagmite formations with a breathtaking view. Underground water springs and streams developed. Being integrated as the focal point of Cave systems of Kurnool Facilities Illumination and pathways provided. Catering facilities provided. Electronic gate has been installed. @#6#Accommodation facilities are under construction. Elaborate landscaping done. Entry Fee: Adult Rs.25/-; Child Rs.15/- More Details: [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Punnami (Belum Caves)[/FONT] Ph:08510-236633 [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=1]Room Type[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=1]No.of Beds [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=1]Tariff (Rs)[/SIZE][/FONT] Dormitory per Bed 32 40.00 [COLOR=#ff0000] Note:[/COLOR] Tariff subject to change without prior notice. Faclities Comfortable Accommodation Dormitory Restaurant Suggested Route to Take: Bangalore - Hindupur / Pennakonda - Anathapur - Thadapatri after this you will have to follow the route toward Nandhyal. From the outskirts of Thadapatri within 30 KMS range you will see this place. Last edited by reachmash : 22nd November 2007 at 15:51. Reason: To give more info
	() Thanks

1st December 2007, 14:58	#4
PVS BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: HyderabadDeccan Posts: 349 Thanked: 601 Times	If you have some spare time after visiting Belum caves, instead of taking the Tadipatri Ananthapur road back to Bangalore , you might want to take a detour. You might want to check out a road which branches off near Yadiki village on the Tadipatri - Gooty State Highway. This road rapidly gains height after leaving Yadiki, through a series of hair pin bends - goes through some remote villages, past a cement factory before joining the Allagadda - Gooty road at a place called Garladinne. From Gooty, you can get back to Bangalore. I had done this route in a APSRTC bus circa 2003- found it to be good. If you want more info, I can refer my Eicher Road Atlas to help you.
	() Thanks

1st December 2007, 20:34	#5
amohit BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 451 Thanked: 52 Times	Thanks PVS. Belum is certainly next on my hit list And i am seriously considering buying Eicher India Road Atlas...will go to sapna book house sometime next week.. Regards,
	() Thanks

2nd December 2007, 01:37	#7
Ketan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,002 Thanked: 442 Times View My Garage	Your right Kumar Sir, And I dont know how old this version is.. I guess this version is still hanging around for a decade or more!!! not sure but its really old.. OT: What do you think about the new satnav maps!! I'm planning to get the satguide along with the maps, heard they updated it recently!! Mohit, Please share your experiance about this place along with pics,, also post some other online resources if you found,, Looks like an interesting place and a very good reason to drive 300KMs away from Bangalore on a weekend...
	() Thanks

2nd December 2007, 08:27	#9
amohit BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 451 Thanked: 52 Times	sure will share the experiences. by the way so far i have been using google maps(for inter and intra city) trips. have found them to be quite helpful. only prob is that i've to plan the trip well in adv, take the printouts....and in case i deviate to some other interesting place midway...i'm without maps!
	() Thanks

2nd December 2007, 13:46	#10
vnabhi Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: DC -> DC Posts: 5,958 Thanked: 2,393 Times View My Garage	Hi guys, Any idea how the caves are from Hyd? And the route? Thanks
	() Thanks

2nd December 2007, 14:40	#11
rkg Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: bangalore Posts: 1,044 Thanked: 594 Times	the main difference between belum caves and other caves like borra caves etc is these are in plain's i.e in open fields unlike other caves which are moslty in hills. belum caves are underground . that is the main difference.from whatever i heard about them from my friends in AP they are very good
	() Thanks

3rd December 2007, 16:51	#13
vnabhi Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: DC -> DC Posts: 5,958 Thanked: 2,393 Times View My Garage	Thanks PVS. That is exactly the info I was looking for!!
	() Thanks

4th December 2007, 20:07	#14
9tMax BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: hyderabad Posts: 237 Thanked: 104 Times View My Garage	For going to Belum from hyd i will never suggest the kurnool-banganapalle route. Once you take the diversion from kurnool-nandyal highway towards banganapalle, though the road is ok initially, but just after a few km as you approach the place called betamcherla, it resembles more to lunar surface than a road. And that's bcoz of the heavy traffic of overloaded stone ladden trucks & tractors carrying the betamcherla stones to the hundreds of stone cutting and polishing factories on both sides of the road. In 2004, Dec. when we made our 1st attempt to go to belum via this route, we had to call off the mission mid-way from banganapalle after it took about 4 hours for us to travel about a 25-30 km stretch on this road and we reached banganapalle at about 3:30 in the afternoon. A few months back, in August 2007, we went back again to complete the unfinished mission and this time we went via kurnool - gooty -tadipatri, with a night halt at tadipatri. This route is a much better and smoother option. Though the NH-7 is in a bad shape now due to the 4-laning work but the road from gooty to tadipatri was pretty good, wide and with very low traffic. From tadipatri, belum is a 30 km drive and the roads are much more motorable than the banganapalle route. And from hyd to tadipatri it is 365 km. As for the caves, they are much bigger and longer than the Bora caves. Though i found that the rock formations are better in Bora but the experience of Belum was also pretty good and worth going all the way. Inside the cave u have to pass through some really narrow passages at some places with some real acrobatics and it was good. U can find some of the snaps of the cave here .
	() Thanks

5th December 2007, 15:03	#15
vnabhi Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: DC -> DC Posts: 5,958 Thanked: 2,393 Times View My Garage	Thanks 9tMax. That brings the one way distance to around 400 kms. Up n down on a single day would be too strenous. Any good joint to rest overnight near Belum?
	() Thanks