At a distance of 282 km from Bangalore lies this spot where you can witness grandeur of The Grand Canyon in a miniature form. Often called as the Grand Canyon of India this place aptly portrays what you can expect from the massive Grand Canyon. Being in the middle of wildlife and beautiful landscapes, it is endowed with vast natural resources.
We started our journey for Gandikota at about 12 PM from Bangalore when traffic was least and there were clear roads leading to outskirts. Once we cleared the city, we stopped for lunch at Nandi cross-section and after a belly full of lunch we started heading towards our destination. There are two ways of reaching Gandikota. One is, you can continue on NH 44 till Anantpur and then take a diversion leading to Gandikota. Another way is, taking a state highway from Lepakshi and then continuing on the path google tells you to. We took the state highways from Lepakshi and found the roads to be pretty good.
Although deserted, the area has a lot of flora and can give you the jitters if traveling during night hours. It's advisable to travel only during sunlight hours on the state highways due to limited connectivity to petrol bunks and cities on the 200 km section. Also there is only one option of staying at Gandikota that is Haritha Resort. You need to make an advance booking there otherwise it's almost impossible to get an accommodation there. We were aware of this and hence we had planned on staying at Jammalmadugu for the night. After covering an odd 240 km we reached the cross-section where the road divides into two for Gandikota and Jammalmadugu. The clock had hit 9 pm by then and we were just looking for a place to crash.
After wandering around Jammalmadugu, we realized the only type of accommodation there was lodges which were not in a good condition. After screening the whole area, we decided that we might have to head to another nearby city to get good accommodation. At around 11 in the night, we decided to head for Proddatur which was another 25 km. We were finally able to get a really cozy accommodation in Proddatur and retired for the night.
Day 2, the plan was to get up early in the morning and rush to Gandikota to catch the sunrise. We got a little late for the sunrise but still made it to the Haritha resort by 6 am. After having a light breakfast we started heading towards the cliff and by about 7:30 am we had the cliff in sight. A short walk and a few jumps later we were finally at the edge of Gandikota cliff and the sight was one which couldn't be described in words.
Although the weather was pretty warm and we were sweating profusely but the view of river cutting it's way through the rocks made our day. When you see such grand things, it makes you realize how small you and your problems are in the grand scheme of things. Just a change of perspective can sometimes provide you with a solution which you have been looking for quite some time.
After relaxing at the cliff and clicking pictures we started heading back to our stay at Proddatur. The whole setting of the cliff and the wind energy farm coupled with a river and mountains make one hell of a view. You get to see a completely different and refreshing landscape for every 90 degrees you turn your head. First you are facing the cliff, turn 90 degrees and you get a view of wind energy farm on a distant hill, turn another 90 and you'll have a view of the fort you left behind while you were coming towards the cliff. We reached Proddatur at about 12 and got ready to depart for Bangalore by 1. The journey was long but our target was to touch NH 44 before dusk so that we can ride safely further.
Since this was a 2 day trip, we didn't get the chance to explore Belum caves. However if you are planning to go there, it's advisable to keep one day extra just for the caves so that the trip doesn't feel hectic. We touched NH 44 by 4 and reached Bangalore by 6 pm. Although hectic, the trip turned out to be really good due to the well laid out roads and an amazing destination.
How to reach:
Gandikota is about 280 km from Bangalore and if traveling during day time, you can take the NH 44 till Lepakshi, switch to State highway 87 till Kadiri and then SH 28 till Gandikota.
There's only one option of staying at Gandikota and that is Haritha resort. So if you are not making an advance booking, it's advisable to go Proddatur for the night stay. Gandikota is about 50 km from Proddatur.
Things to be careful of:
The route mentioned has a lot of unmarked speed bumps and no fuel pumps for 100 km sections. So it's advisable to traverse through it only during daylight hours .
Accommodation should be booked before going so as to avoid any hassle on reaching the place.