[floyd]

Update: I drove through Bellary, and it was OK. I dont think the Bypass is needed, when driving down the Gooty->Guntakal route. About the roads - yes it is bad in some stretches, but still manageable. Speeds would be slower, of course.

[Krishroy]

Originally Posted by floyd

OK, so even with the Gooty route, Bellary bypass is recommended?

If you travel to Bangalore, bypass road would be the default choice. But even if you travel to Gooty, I would recommend bypass road unless you are driving late evening, when traffic is less. I have bad traffic experience in my first trip to Hampi while travelling through Bellary during busy hours.

The bypass road is wide and good drive too; except few horrible speed breakers

[paharino1]

any update on the traditional route to hampi from hyd ?
Hyd-Bhootpur- Mahbubnagar -Raichur - Gangawati hampi ?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by paharino1

any update on the traditional route to hampi from hyd ?
- Gangawati hampi ?

I did Hyderabad - Hampi a couple of months back.
Earlier this month I did "Hyd-Bhootpur- Mahbubnagar -Raichur" on my return from Goa.

The Gooty-Bellary to Hampi is in my honest opinion way superior.

[ranjitp1]

Road Closure Notice:Mahbubnagar-Raichur Highway


http://www.deccanchronicle.com/natio...km-longer.html

[bordeaux]

Guys, we did Hyderabad-Hampi on 1st weekend of July. We took the Hyderabad-Jadcherla-Kothakota-Gadwal-Raichur-Sindhanur-Gangavathi-Sanapur village. This is the second time we took this road and IMHO it's much better over other routes we have tried (Hyderabad-Mehboobnagar-Raichur-Gangavathi and Hyderabad-Guntakal-Ballari-Hosapete). The most disappointing part of the entire route is Raichur Town. A sea of sky high speed breakers await to trash your low ground clearance vehicles.

Do note that we prefer the mentioned route because we always stay on the northern side of Tungabhadra river. If you are staying in the actual Hampi town, this may not be a good choice.


Hyderabad-Hampi Route

A brief look at how it feels to drive through Raichur, Karnataka.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8cp...fyy4FkYtGyvyVn

Dashcam recording for parts of the route https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...fyy4FkYtGyvyVn

[sanmish]

Did a Hyderabad - Hampi road trip on the Sankranti weekend in my trusted Dzire. This was my first long road trip (as the designated driver) and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

We followed Google Maps completely and as I was not sure of the network connectivity on the route, I had downloaded the map beforehand. The original plan was to leave at 4 am on Friday (11th Jan 2017) so as to reach our hotel (Heritage Resort Hampi) by around the check-in time of 12 PM. However, nothing goes to plan, and due to a late night at office, we (me and my better half) managed to leave by 5 am. The route followed, as suggested by Google maps, was Hyderabad - Jadcherla – Raichur – Sindhanur – Hampi. The total distance from our home (Somajiguda) to the hotel gates was exactly 400 kms and it took us around 7.5 hours to cover it with two short stops (15 mins each).

Left Hampi at 11 am on 13th Jan taking the same route and reached Gachibowli by 7 pm (again with 2 short stops). There was a little traffic which we encountered at Jadcherla, probably due to people coming back to the city after the long weekend.

About the route: Roads all the way to Hampi are in decent to good condition except for a couple of kilometers before Raichur. There are multiple unmarked speedbreakers after Raichur and all the way to Hampi, some of which are bad enough to damage vehicles sufficiently.

[dpkbehera]

Bumping up this thread for the latest on the Hyderabad Hampi Route. Is the Hyderabad - Jadcherla – Raichur – Sindhanur – Hampi still the preferred route. Also any pointers to road conditions and restaurants on the way will be appreciated.

[bordeaux]

Just returned from Hampi this week. Take the route via Mehboobnagar.

Hyderabad -> Bhootpur -> Mehboobnagar -> Raichur -> Sindhanur -> Gangavathi -> Bukkasagara -> Hampi. (https://goo.gl/maps/qDQrzhteCSB2)

Most of the Mehboobnagar - KA/TS border road has been expanded to three lanes or work in progress. But not the kind of WIP that'll screw your drive.



BTW, there is a new two-lane bridge on river Tungabhadra now which has reduced distance between the two sides of river by 25KMs. Also, it's a beautiful drive



The roads around Hampi have improved a lot since our last visit but the historic monuments have degraded a lot

Please avoid the route via Gadwal. TS/KA Border - Raichur route has crater size potholes. Somehow speed-breakers have survived the rains and are still standing tall!

[dpkbehera]

Originally Posted by bordeaux

Just returned from Hampi this week. Take the route via Mehboobnagar.

Hyderabad -> Bhootpur -> Mehboobnagar -> Raichur -> Sindhanur -> Gangavathi -> Bukkasagara -> Hampi. (https://goo.gl/maps/qDQrzhteCSB2)

Google maps is currently showing the same route as the best route. Thank You for the update. Any pointers to restaurants on this route will be appreciated !!!

[bordeaux]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

Google maps is currently showing the same route as the best route. Thank You for the update. Any pointers to restaurants on this route will be appreciated !!!

We didn't look for any restaurants on Bhootpur-Hampi stretch but there are a couple of good ones between Hyderabad-Bhootpur. The M-Food Court (https://goo.gl/maps/mpWv184iYFo) was really nice. Neat & clean with huge parking space.

[dpkbehera]

Any pointers to contacts of tour guides in Hampi would be welcome. Also is it really required to take a tour guide along?

[NPV]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

Any pointers to contacts of tour guides in Hampi would be welcome. Also is it really required to take a tour guide along?

You will find them all the way from Kamlapur circle, then again near the Ganeshas/Ugra narasimha junction before Virupaksha temple (these are on the stretch towards the main section of ruins starting at Kamlapur circle). Also, you will find guides at the Virupaksha and Vittala temples. Look for guides with the government approval ID's.
We used the services of guides for Vittala and Virupaksha temples only and it was worth it

[dpkbehera]

I just finished my first road trip i.e. from Hyderabad to Hampi from Aug 12th-14th.
Just wanted to share the following information i.e.
1) I followed the default route that google maps suggested. The link is "https://goo.gl/maps/JeWqiVDopAJ2". This seems to be a new route. I started by 6:30 am and was at my destination by 2:00 pm. The network can get patchy at times. Hence makes sense to download the route map.
2) The roads were quite good and the traffic was sparse to moderate. The only stretch that takes time is Gangavathi to Hospet due to narrow roads.
3) I stayed at the Royal Orchid and would highly recommend this hotel.
4) There are various food options nearby apart from the hotel i.e. Naivedyam and Temptations Restaurant (Hotel Malligi).
5) On 12 evening, i restricted myself to a visit to the Tungabadhra Dam.
6) On 13th, i covered most of the places in Hampi. The route taken to cover all the points in Hampi is pretty straight forward. The tourist guide can be hired for Vittala and Virupaksha temples only.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

This seems to be a new route. I started by 6:30 am and was at my destination by 2:00 pm. The network can get patchy at times. Hence makes sense to download the route map.

Thats a new bridge on Tungabhadra which I think got operational last year only. I also see that there is new hanging bridge coming up at the boat point to Anegundi near Vijay Vittala temple.

In general roads are good.

Folks also note, there is a Clarks Inn at Kamalapur which can also be used for food break apart from stay option. To splurge even further, there is an Orange County as well. (They have now changed their brand to Evolve Back)