[Night_Fury]

So I completed the trip. Thanks to everyone for the inputs. It went well as planned. I will try to give a short summary of the trip, as i have only very few pictures with me.

Background
we are a group of students studying in Chennai. with the end of semester exams over we had a few days off. We came to know of the location from my friend's sister who had been there. We looked it up, saw the photos and there was no going back. It was decided that it would be a one day trip and we slapped a restrictive 2000 Rs budget. The trip was planned from various points but i have no idea how we arrived at kadapa as the starting point.

Once we settled on Kadapa , the plan was to book two bikes ( we are a group of four ) . The only website providing online booking was Jaggonriders.com . So we booked a bike on their app only to come to know that there was no jagoon riders at Kadapa anymore. The party they outsourced to had severed their links with Jagoon riders and is now operating independently. But we had already paid for one bike on their app. Tried contacting them many times but of no use. They apparently don't have customer service. I've mailed them , called them many times but they are not picking up. The amount has been debited from my account. Any help to pursue a refund is appreciated.

There was two other bike rentals in Kadapa. Elite riders and S.N riders(previously Jagoon riders). We booked 2 bikes from Elite riders going by their very good google reviews. They called us at the last moment(2 hours before boarding the train to be precise) and said one of the promised bikes was not available. This was a big setback because we had already booked tatkal tickets on the Mumbai Mail from chennai central to Kadapa. But somehow managed to get another bike from S.N riders

We reached Kadapa railway station at 5 in the morning. Got the bikes delivered to us by 6 AM. The Elite riders did not provide a helmet, let alone two. Their reason was that no one wears helmet in Kadapa( they weren't kidding). We had to go back to their office to get a helmet. I thought it was mandatory for rental services to provide one helmet.

Route

The plan was to ride to Belum caves first. Then proceed to Gandikota after noon.

Kadapa to Belum caves



The roads were very good. NH40 from Kadapa to Mydukur was a pleasure to ride.


From Mydukur took NH67 till near Belum. The road was excellent till Jammalamadagu and slightly deteriorated afterwards. But not a big bummer.

The final stretch to Belum caves, from Kolimigundalla


Belum caves to Gandikota



Found this sunflower field on the way.


Rode back to Jammalamadagu. The road to Gandikota was excellent. Looked like newly laid tarmac.


Gandikota to Kadapa


Took the same route back to Kadapa. We were all pretty tired to be honest. Tried to keep it slow. The traffic was comparatively higher. The FZ-S we rented had a poor light throw and the Pulsar had poor brakes. We were extra cautious at intersections. People were doing crazy things and no body had a helmet, even for namesake. The roads certainly helped, the people didn't.

Belum caves


The cave system is the largest and longest cave system open to public in India. we reached belum around 10 AM right when it's supposed to be open. We four were the first to arrive. They refused entry initially saying at least a group of 10 is required. We later found out the reason was something else.








It gets hot inside the cave. There is a makeshift ventilation system. The entire cave is well lit. Most parts were slushy due to rains. Our shoes were sticking to the clay along the path. It was very slippery. While inside the cave we found the reason they didn't allow us in . There was some electrical issue. While we were deep inside the cave there was a power loss.It was a bit terrifying to say the least. We quickly moved towards the exit. Without the ventilation it would have been impossible to stay long. Gladly the power came back on after 5 minutes.

I find the place to badly kept.The entry fees was 65 Rs. The toilets were pathetic. The staff weren't particularly polite either. But the cave system is just a fantastic experience.







Gandikota

The place is just fantastic. It is basically a fort on the banks of the river Penna. There is a stunning gorge behind the fort which is the show stopper. The roads to Gandikota is now in excellent condition. I just saw one resort near Gandikota. There is no other option. Lack of accommodation may be a problem for some. I wasn't planning to stay a night anyway. I heard there are camping options available near the river valley view point. Camping the night and waking up to a Gandikota sunrise would be some experience!

The old jail near the fort


The fort




The Gorge ! No wonder they call it the grand canyon of India.








Wrapping it up

We safely reached Kadappa around 8 PM. I have to give the town of Kadapa a special mention.

It was absolute chaos there. Just as the bike owner said no single person had a helmet. People were going in the wrong direction through roundabouts and whatnot! I am not going to forget this town.

Returned the bike to the respective owners. It costed us a total of 1000 Rs for each bike + fuel cost. Looking back ,I don't think renting a bike is something I'll do again unless there is no other option. They couldn't even provide us with a helmet for the pillion rider. But in fairness both the bikes were in good condition. I'm glad it all turned out good


From Kadapa took an APSRTC bus to Chennai. Reached Chennai at 4 in the morning.We managed to stay within out budget. It came around 2,100 Rs per person. The trip went beyond all expectations. And yes, It was worth the trouble .

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[mpksuhas]

Wow, you completed the trip and wrote a travelogue too. I remember discussing about route only couple of days back (Kadapa - Belum Caves - Gandikota route query)

Vehicle rental from unknown agencies is always risky, however given the options, things went great for you I guess.

[ani_meher]

Belum caves even with the lights is a bit scary experience. Without lights must have been hulluva scary! There is a Haritha hotel on the campus too, but that is always closed and its shop very scarcely run. A beautiful sight unfortunately ignored by the tourism department.

You covered good distance on a day. Nice pics!

[venkatt1800]

Night Fury, you did an excellent job of covering both Belum Caves and Gandikota in a single day. Gives hope for others planning a weekend trip from Chennai or nearby areas. While you were there, were you aware of any trusted cab services in Kadapah, suitable and safe for families to visit both these places?