[revvytorques]

Beautiful travelogue Dr.AD. I had been to Hampi recently (August 15th weekend) and stayed at the Hampi Heritage & Wilderness Resort by Jungle Lodges & Resorts (JLR). The stay includes a safari ride into Daroji Bear Sanctuary & all meals. I have been to Hampi several times but post-monsoon Hampi is just beautiful with greenery all around.

Sharing some pictures of the resort, safari & the sunflower fields

Resort has 22 socially distanced cottages


View of the room


Pathway inside JLR


Sunflower fields between Chitradurga & Hosapete on NH50



Safari Ride into Daroji Bear Santuary


Bolero Camper provided by JLR


Other activities inside JLR

[PrideRed]

Nice travelogue. Some place you don't get bored and makes you visit again for two reasons- The drive is comfortable and you need not stretch, secondly the place itself. Hampi makes for a comforting vacation for folks from Bangalore. Not far, not too close. I know you have visited multiple times but below are two highlights of Hampi for me other than the monuments.

1. The backwater side of Tungabhadra Dam. We found this accidentally and ended up at one of the IB, the view is just amazing.
2. Lunch/Dinner a Naivedyam(Hospet). Loved the food especially meals.

Sorry for photobombing your thread

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Lovely one
It reminded me of my own trip to Hampi.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ail-hampi.html (A Nature's Trail in Hampi)

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Wonderful account of Hampi Visit Dr AD. The place seems to have very nice mix of both wildlife, art and history.

Thank you. Yes, Hampi is a special place that has a mix of everything. It is a wonderful place with many dimensions. And of course, it offers some really unique landscapes. Amazing place if one enjoys driving around exploring landscapes.

These days if we do not see a TL with the Red Machine for more than a month we start feeling restless, its our way to tour West.
Keep more of these coming.

Thank you very much for your kind words. Sure, I will keep them coming. But I hope people do not get bored of my repetitive stuff

Originally Posted by revvytorques

Beautiful travelogue Dr.AD. I had been to Hampi recently (August 15th weekend) and stayed at the Hampi Heritage & Wilderness Resort by Jungle Lodges & Resorts (JLR). The stay includes a safari ride into Daroji Bear Sanctuary & all meals. I have been to Hampi several times but post-monsoon Hampi is just beautiful with greenery all around.

Thank you. And thanks for sharing that short review of the JLR place. I was actually wondering how that place is and your photos give a good idea. Looks like a nice place to try next time. It is on my list now. Thanks again for the information.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Nice travelogue. Some place you don't get bored and makes you visit again for two reasons- The drive is comfortable and you need not stretch, secondly the place itself. Hampi makes for a comforting vacation for folks from Bangalore. Not far, not too close.

Thank you. And totally agree with your description of Hampi. You have summarized it well.

I know you have visited multiple times but below are two highlights of Hampi for me other than the monuments.

1. The backwater side of Tungabhadra Dam. We found this accidentally and ended up at one of the IB, the view is just amazing.
2. Lunch/Dinner a Naivedyam(Hospet). Loved the food especially meals.

Sorry for photobombing your thread

Thanks for this information and the photos. Nice photos. We all love to see more photos and it is great that you shared those.

Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG

Lovely one
It reminded me of my own trip to Hampi.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ail-hampi.html (A Nature's Trail in Hampi)

Thanks. And thanks for sharing your travelogue too. Nice travelogue!

[sukhbirST]

Thanks for bringing to life - Hampi in the rains.
Never imagined such beautiful mix of rocks and greens.
Appreciate the lovely photos from different angles.
Had heard about Mandu in the rains, but Hampi has its own charm.

[1985Darkkid85]

Wonderful account of Hampi Visit Dr AD./Original poster.

Brings me back déjà vu memories of my honeymoon trip back in Dec 2020 when we did Hampi, Tungabhadra Dam/Garden, Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal!

How much did you pay for the safari? From the pic attached it seems to be 750, which i consider to be rather steep for what is essentially a spartan sighting of bears and few birds

Did you get a chance to visit the Hampi museum at THIS LOCATION ?
We absolutely loved this museum and got an informative info from an insider , as we were asking too many queries

[vj_torqueaddict]

Always love your travelogues!
I see you took the JLR safari. I believe there are around 15 leopards there,atleast that’s what we were told.

Monsoon is the best time to visit Hampi. The lush greenery amidst those ruins is simply majestic. Hampi is one of those places where it has something to offer every time you visit.

Sorry to hijack, here are some pictures that I took from my visit few weeks ago.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by sukhbirST

Never imagined such beautiful mix of rocks and greens.
Appreciate the lovely photos from different angles.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by 1985Darkkid85

Wonderful account of Hampi Visit Dr AD./Original poster.

Thank you!

How much did you pay for the safari? From the pic attached it seems to be 750, which i consider to be rather steep for what is essentially a spartan sighting of bears and few birds

I do not recall how much we paid for safari. Ours was not the JLR safari but a different safari that is just recently started by the Karnataka Forest Department. However, I do not think we can comment on the price of the safari based on the number of sightings. For me, any nature is beautiful, not just the wildlife sightings. I thoroughly enjoyed the safari ride (and enjoy most such safaris) even without any wildlife sightings. For me, just the experience of riding in an open air vehicle, in the middle of a forest, on those lovely mud tracks, and watching the 360 degree view of the landscapes and jungles around is an experience that is magical enough.

Did you get a chance to visit the Hampi museum at THIS LOCATION ?

Not this time. We have been there in one of the previous trips. But thanks for bringing this up. Yes, this is a good place to visit.

Originally Posted by vj_torqueaddict

Always love your travelogues!
I see you took the JLR safari.

Thank you very much! No, we did not take the JLR safari. We took the new safari started by the Karnataka Forest Department. This starts from the new "Interpretation Center" which is also a Forest Department facility. This Interpretation Center itself is worth a visit!

Monsoon is the best time to visit Hampi. The lush greenery amidst those ruins is simply majestic. Hampi is one of those places where it has something to offer every time you visit.

Totally agree. Hampi has never disappointed me. I am sure if I drive there again after just 1 month, I will still have a new and exciting experience!

Sorry to hijack, here are some pictures that I took from my visit few weeks ago.

Lovely pictures! Thank you for sharing these.

[Gorkey]

Beautiful writing, beautiful scenes, beautiful cars and awesome company. How I wish I could find BHPians like this in my town and go out rides and to come back and write a
travelogs. Really inspiring. Waiting for more.

[FlashMustang]

Wonderful travelogue as always, Dr. AD!
It's always nice to get to know the unseen and unknown side of places, and this was definitely one of them! Pictures of sunflower fields, sloth bear sanctuary, and the weaver birds were wonderful and showed an entirely different side of Hampi. This thread soon turned into a treasure trove of information with everyone pitching in.

We were really in a fix on where to go for the upcoming long weekend (Hyderabad isn't really optimal for a lot of nearby getaways).
The pictures and the level of detail on this thread helped me convince my wife for a trip to Hampi this weekend (September 10 to September 12), with accommodation booked at JLR Hampi Heritage and Wilderness resort.

So, a huge thanks to the detailed posts and the pictures!

Looking forward to our trip and our drive there and back.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Gorkey

Beautiful writing, beautiful scenes, beautiful cars and awesome company. How I wish I could find BHPians like this in my town and go out rides and to come back and write a
travelogs. Really inspiring. Waiting for more.

Thank you very much.

Originally Posted by FlashMustang

Wonderful travelogue as always, Dr. AD!

Thank you very much.

The pictures and the level of detail on this thread helped me convince my wife for a trip to Hampi this weekend (September 10 to September 12), with accommodation booked at JLR Hampi Heritage and Wilderness resort.

So, a huge thanks to the detailed posts and the pictures!

Looking forward to our trip and our drive there and back.

Great! I am glad our report helped you in finalizing your trip.

The JLR Hampi looks like a great place to stay and enjoy the wilderness around Hampi. I have never stayed there yet. Looking forward to hearing more about that place from you after your trip.

Have a good trip and please let us know how that place is how your drive went. September is a good time to visit Hampi. I am sure you will have a good time there.

[FlashMustang]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

The JLR Hampi looks like a great place to stay and enjoy the wilderness around Hampi. I have never stayed there yet. Looking forward to hearing more about that place from you after your trip.

Thank you, Dr. AD! The resort was quite well maintained. The individual cottages are spacious. They have a rustic charm! Rooms are air conditioned. Oddly, they had a television with Tata Sky connection, but with most of the channels not being available (I was curious to see what was on offer). Standard amenities were available (with the exception of dental kits and in-room safe). The cottages are quite spread out such that we don't see another cottage from one of the cottages. On our day of departure from the resort, we saw a peacock a few feet outside our room when we were stepping out for breakfast!

Food in Gol Ghar was simple yet tasty, with use of good quality ingredients. Staff were hospitable and helpful.

The stay of two nights included a safari to the Daroji bear sanctuary on the day we reached the resort (we reached around 12:30 p.m.), and a full day of Hampi sight-seeing the next day (returning back to the resort for lunch).
The visit to Daroji bear sanctuary was nice, with sighting of so many birds (including numerous peacocks) and the weaver bird nests.
Hiring a guide is optional for Hampi sight-seeing. They group people into the vehicles depending on those who wish to avail the guide and those who don't opt for it. We went with a guide, and the guide from the tourism department joined our vehicle upon nearing Hampi (paid Rs. 2,200 split two ways between us and another family who opted for the guide). It was helpful to have a guide, who explained a lot of details, which we would never have understood ourselves without him.
We loved the way he took us to the entrance of Virupaksha temple climbing down from the temples of Hemakuta Hill.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Have a good trip and please let us know how that place is how your drive went. September is a good time to visit Hampi. I am sure you will have a good time there.

You're right! September was a great time to visit Hampi! We had generally pleasant weather conditions, with an occasional shower or two.

The drive was alright (we don't yet have great road conditions to Hampi from Hyderabad). I posted a detailed report on the drive on the Hyderabad - Hampi route queries thread (Hyderabad to Hampi : Route Queries).

Thank you, once again, for inspiring us to visit Hampi! We loved everything about the trip!
Take care and keep enlightening us about interesting places to drive down to!

Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Crossing Tungabadhra river from Telangana into Karnataka, with the Raichur power plant in the background.


Scenic views along the way on the onward drive.



Weaver bird nests on the safari.


Peacock on the safari road (sorry about the image quality).


Evening sunset within the resort, along the walk-way.


Balcony of the cottage.


View of the cottage.


View of Virupaksha temple with the Tungabadhra river in the background, viewed from the Hemakuta hill temples.


Panoramic shot of the Hemakuta hill Jain temples, and the Virupaksha temple, while ascending from the Hemakuta hill temples towards Virupaksha temple.


A few quintessential photos of Hampi.




The peacock sighted a few feet outside our room before departing (sorry about the image quality).

[ampere]

So you did find your second drive to Hampi! The place does has its riveting effect on one to visit more often. Like I said earlier there are multiple facets of this place.

South of the river is all about Vijayanagar Empire. North of the river has a totally different importance. Many claim it to be Kishkindha of Ramayana and hence there are many temples dedicated to this. The place is also associated to birth place of lord Hanuman (Anjanadri hill). Add to it the island of Navabrindavan which is close to Anegundi. Many pilgrims visit this place after they complete visit of Mantralayam.

All the pilgrimage aspects aside, we then have the geography around Sandur. This place apart from the nice views along Narihalla has also some old temples associated to this place. They also make for a nice visit.

Last but not least not to mention the sloth bear wild life reserve !

The place does offer something to every one!

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by ampere

So you did find your second drive to Hampi! The place does has its riveting effect on one to visit more often. Like I said earlier there are multiple facets of this place.

Yes, the second drive this year :-) Overall I have been there several times in the past. I totally agree with you that the place has a riveting effect. It keeps inviting you again and again. It is an amazing place for sure!

The place does offer something to every one!

Agree 100%. And also something in every season. It has its own charm in hot summers, in the rains, and in the lesser hot (but still warm) winters! I never had a dull time in Hampi.

[mankuthimma]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

One of my favorite internet quotes about travel is this: "The Traveler sees what he sees. The Tourist sees what he has come to see".

Thank you Dr.AD for an excellent set of recommendations in your travelogue. During our recent visit to Hampi, we looked no further and tried to follow your suggestions to the 'T'.

We had to do a last minute booking and chose Royal Orchid based on your recommendation. It was a very nice stay and convenient as you mentioned. Just wanted to highlight the house chef. He dished out a variety of tasty North Indian and Chinese items during the breakfast and dinner buffet.

First thing we did was the must-do drive on the roads towards Sanapur lake. It was really awesome! Wouldnt have thought about it otherwise. We didnt go all the way to the lake, but chose to drive till Anegundi and climbed Anjanadri Hills for some awesome views from the top.

During the day long Hampi tour, our guide had skipped Krishna temple and the most photographed sunset point in Hemakuta Hills, but we came back next day to visit the same which otherwise would have been a disappointing miss!

Instead of Daroji bear sanctuary, we visited underground Shiva temple. Since we had seen hilltops, we thought it will be interesting to see how things have been built underground. The temple was flooded by rain waters, couldnt see much, but it was a beautiful structure.

We had to try out Woodstock Cafe. This required another drive on the same roads to Sanapur lake, but no one complained. Unfortunately, we were told that the chef has changed and he royally fumbled with variety of orders we had placed. It was bit of disappointment, but in the hindsight, we should have just ordered whatever the new chef was comfortable cooking. But the roads and the unique landscape made up for the loss.

We were searching for the sunflower fields through out the journey, but looked like they all had been harvested already!