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.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Coracle ride |
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| Vithala Temple |
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| 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.
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| Matanga hill |
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| Sunrise-Matanga hill |
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| Queen's bath |
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| Stepwell |
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| Sister stones |
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| Lotus palace |
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| 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
