Happy Hampi!!!

Hampi not known to many people is a true hidden gem.Lot of people asked us what is there in Hampi and where is it??To start off-It is a great place and a must visit.We had a wonderful time in both of our visits.You cannot help but fall in love with the place.The place leaves you speechless.The mamooth boulders precariously balanced, lie scattered all over Hampi.The green paddy fields with rustic backdrop is an alluring sight. There is adventure like spotting a bear while climbing the boulders,yes it happened,little did we know that Hampi has bears.Amazing food,we had some awesome falafels here.Backpacker's Mecca,place to have a relaxed time with friends,buzzing with energy...that's Hampi.

Introduction-  Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.  The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.

Hampi is also referred as city of ruins. Primary connectivity to Hampi is by road. It is about 350km from Bangalore.Hospet, a small town located about 12 kilometers (8 miles) from Hampi is the nearest railway station. Hospet is well connected by rail and road to other important towns like Bangalore, Chennai,Goa,Hyderabad etc.

View from Virupapur gadde

Accommodation-Hampi has budget type accommodation,no fancy frills here.Houses have been converted to guest houses,simple and clean with basic amenities.The other side of the river has more foreigners and serves non veg and alcohol. Hampi side has no non veg and alcohol. 

 Virupapur Gadde across the river is the place for party and night scene.Here you can rent huts, mostly located close to the riverbank.

 Mowgli guesthouse has a great location across the river from the bazaar, the cottages are spacious with a swing outside.It has amazing views over the paddy fields. We loved the food and view from the restaurant.Wifi is free in almost all the guest houses in Hampi,so you stay connected.

Mowgli guest house-Our hut

Hampi side-We booked online Thilak home stay.Kish (owner)makes sure you have a wonderful time in Hampi.There is pick up and drop facility to Hospet.Sight seeing is also arranged by him.Breakfast is included.The guest house has a restaurant right opposite to it,so you don't have to wander much.

Things to do in Hampi-
Temples -there are a lot of temples on both sides of the river.You have to take a boat to cross the river,the last boat is at 5:30PM.So depending on your plans you decide which side of the river you want to stay.
We reached Hampi in the morning after a good breakfast we were all set to explore Hampi.We decided to explore the Virupapur first.You can hire bicycles,mopeds to explore the city.
Virupapur has a beautiful lake which has coracle boats.You can also swim in the lake.Cliff jumping,rock climbing are very common here.Coracle boat is a fun experience,A bit scary but fun,we paid around 150INR for a 15 min ride.
Hampi has a whole lot of temples- Vithala temple is not to be missed for sure.

Coracle ride

Vithala Temple

Sunset 

To view the sunrise from Matanga Hill,you need to get up real early.You need to be on top of the hill by 6AM.It takes around an hour to climb the Hill.It gets scary as there is no light and no proper way.But in the end the view makes up for it.

Matanga hill

Sunrise-Matanga hill

Queen's bath

Stepwell

Sister stones

Lotus palace

chill out cafe

Where to eat- The food is good,you get pretty much the same food in Hampi.All the restaurants have set breakfasts,Israeli food,cereals,pancakes etc.The one which stood were Mango tree and Chill out.Mango tree has amazing falafels and hummus.
Cafe Chill Out
Funky Monkey

Colaba!!

Rishikesh!!

About Rishikesh

This is a holy city for Hindus; surrounded by Shivalik Ranges on three sides, it is the starting point for Char Dham Yatra. It is deeply rooted in mythology and even modern history holds much significance to this place. Holy river Ganges flows through the city and is adorned by many temples – old and relatively new.

Rishikesh as a travel destination

Rishikesh’s has been a religious destination for ages but the landscape offers an excellent opportunity for adventure sports, kayaking, rafting, treks and excursions. This augments the appeal of the place to young and old alike.

Traveling to Rishikesh from Delhi

It is at a distance is 236 Km from Delhi. Time by road is around 6hours. The roads are hilly and this adds to the time of travel. While planning your trip do account for stop-overs to refresh yourself along the way. To reach Rishikesh at convenient time, leaving early is recommended. We left from Delhi early in the morning around 5am and reached by 1.  We were travelling in a fairly large group of 9 and hired a minibus.

Our Stay

We took a package as soon as we reached there. The package included-

1 Night/ 2 Days accommodation in Ganga Beach camp in Alpine tents [Twin Sharing ]

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch,1 Dinner per person

1 Bonfire with light snacks1 Rafting stretch 12 kms ( Marine Drive to Shivpuri)

Beach Volleyball

Trekking to Village

Rock Climbing

The cost was around 2000INR per person

The place where we stayed. The tents are comfortable and cosy. The camp has all the basic facilities but it is a no frill accommodation.

An early morning walk along the river is strongly recommended. In the calmness of the morning you can capture the true essence of the place; cool breeze , sound of flowing river is blissfully serene.

Our adventurous outing!!!

Rock Climbing and Rappelling

Trekking -

Enjoying the waterfall-

River Rafting-

River rafting..River Rafting is called riding on the torrential river on an inflatable rubber boat called " Raft ".Experience of a lifetime. Recommended for everyone..The feeling when you are crossing a rapid cant be explained in words..3 Rapids can be enjoyed at Rishikesh while starting Rafting from Marine Drive to Shivpuri. It is a 10 Kms rafting run , Starts with good morning rapid and has many rafting rapids like Cash Flow, Three Blind Mice Etc. People looking for more rafting adventure at Rishikesh should go for 16 Kms rafting run starting from Shivpuri & ending at Rishikesh ( Ram Jhula), This Rafting Run is slight tough and has grade 4 rapids like Roller Coaster & Golf Course and Grade 3 Rapids lik rouble etc.

Rafting rapids are graded from 1 to 6 depending on the ease with which they can be negotiated, with 1 being the most easy.

Cliff Jumping-

Shivpuri - Rishikesh rafting stretch has a small cliff ( Very popular for cliff jump) , Rafters stop their raft on riverside and jump in river from cliff. Cliff jumping is fun,some of us were scared others jumped more than once but everyone took a plunge.

Hampi in pictures..