Solo drive to the magical land of Hampi in my Mahindra Thar P AT 4x4

My family and my friends are so bored of my Hampi drives that there reaction to me now-a-days is "Oh, not Hampi again". But since I love solo drives, this is a not a problem for my solo drives to Hampi.

BHPian Dr.AD recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

When in doubt, I drive to Hampi!

I have lost count of how many times I drove to Hampi in the recent past. But I am still not bored of Hampi. It is a magical land that has a different magic in every season and in every visit. Hampi always entices me and whenever I get some free time with no other plans, I drive to Hampi. My family and my friends are so bored of my Hampi drives that there reaction to me now-a-days is "Oh, not Hampi again". But since I love solo drives, this is a not a problem for my solo drives to Hampi.

Hampi has different beauty in different seasons, and I find different themes in each drive. For example, the winter sunsets and sunrises are magical there, and that was the theme for my solo drive there back in 2022. Also, all of my past drives to Hampi were in my other cars. I had not yet taken my Thar to Hampi since I got it a year ago (since then I did a couple of drives to Hampi, but those were again in my BMW 320d).

Therefore, this time, the main theme was to drive my "Dusty", my Thar 4x4 on the dirt tracks and the hills around Hampi, and enjoy the monsoon landscapes. Monsoon landscapes in Hampi would mean lush green fields, cloudy skies, and the ubiquitous Hampi boulders. I explored these landscapes this time and found plenty of beautiful views.

Further, as in any solo drive, I wanted peace and solitude! Therefore, I avoided all touristy locations. Stayed in the jungle lodge there by Jungle Lodges & Resorts (JLR), instead of one of the mainstream hotels in Hampi, and drove around in remote areas enjoying my alone time and solitude.

The only specific recognized location I visited in Hampi was "Shri Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple", which is one of my most favorite spots in Hampi, and that too early morning when there was nobody there and I found the whole place to myself to enjoy the morning views from there.

This travelogue is divided in three parts: Driving around Hampi in my Thar, peaceful time in the Jungle Lodge, and the morning visit to the ancient temple and landscapes around there. 

Driving Around Hampi in my Thar

Since I was driving my Thar this time, I used this opportunity to explore plenty of rural roads and dirt tracks on the hills around Hampi where I would usually not venture in my BMW.

Drive to Hampi is a routine highway drive, with superb six-lane and four-lane highways all the way. I missed my BMW on that lovely tarmac, but I was excited to drive Thar there nevertheless because I knew Thar would be very useful for my plans of driving around in the hills.

This season, towards the end of the monsoon, not only sees lovely lush green fields in Hampi, but also sees colorful flower fields. Large fields of marigold flowers and sunflowers can be seen in full bloom at many locations around Hampi in this season.

Just as I was about the reach Hampi, this lovely flower field welcomed my Thar there:

I could not resist getting down and clicking a picture:

Once I exited NH50 (the "Hampi Expressway"), I entered some rural roads and dirt tracks, and started my driving around to explore the landscapes.

On a dirt track somewhere, with characteristic Hampi boulders for company:

Some simple trails which Dusty loved:

Dusty enjoying her first visit to Hampi:

A customary photo on the backdrop of the boulders:

Then I found another small road running parallel to lovely lush green fields, mostly used by the villagers and the farmers. I drove on that road enjoying the landscapes and the fantastic weather. It was nice and cloudy, with pleasant breeze. The best weather you can ever get in Hampi!

On a small road next to lush green farms:

Another shot of Dusty next to the lush green fields:

The lush green paddy fields:

This picture summarizes the main elements of my drive theme this time: green paddy fields, boulders, cloudy skies, and a Thar:

Next, I drove to Sanapur Lake, and enjoyed the lake views as well as scenic drives along the lake and the canals.

The characteristic "Hampi monsoon landscapes" as I drove past Sanapur Lake:

Sanapur Lake was full to the brim:

Another view of the lake water, as it flowed out into the canals:

Then I drove around on this lovely road running on the side of the canal:

View of this canal-side road and the ubiquitous boulders:

Soon, the road turns into a dirt track which was easy-peasy for Dusty:

This road and the location was just perfect for a vehicle like Thar:

I spent some time there enjoying the views, the weather and the fresh air. I parked Dusty there and walked around a bit enjoying the elements. This was the moment of total peace and solitude that I was looking for.

Views of the rocks on the side of the canal:

Dusty looked totally at home there:

After spending some time there enjoying the peace and the solitude, I drove back to Sanapur Lake, and from there to the Jungle Lodge where I was going to stay.

Back to Sanapur Lake:

And by now it started raining. It rained heavily for a short while and then the rain disappeared for the rest of the day.

Dusty on the backdrop of Sanapur Lake, under heavy rain (you can see the rain falling against the black panels):

From there, I drove to my place of stay, and spent the rest of the day enjoying the peace and serenity in the jungle lodge.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.