Hampi has been on my travel list for a very long time. And when my hubby had already been to this place, persuading him was difficult, but thanks to my wishing star and wifey skills, he did budge..!!
Hampi is an UNESCO World Heritage Site in India located near Hospet town in the Karnataka state, India. Among the attractions of Hampi, you'll find beautiful temples, ruins of palaces, remains of aquatic structures, ancient market streets, royal pavilions, bastions, royal platforms, treasury buildings etc... the list is practically endless. Hampi is a backpacker's paradise and a pilgrim's delight. It let's travelers dive into history to experience the lost tales of South India’s largest, wealthiest and the most powerful kingdom, Vijayanagara Empire. No wonder, it topped the list of New York Times for places to visit in 2019.
Let me take you through our itinerary which we followed for 3days.
We boarded an overnight bus from Mumbai to Hospet at 6.30 pm and reached next morning around 10am. VRL & SRS are the buses operating on this route. It will cost INR 1300 -1500 one-way for AC sleeper bus. From Hospet, we took an auto-rickshaw to reach the temple side of Hampi for INR 250.
Hampi is split into two sides, one is the Temple (ruin/ heritage) side and other is the hippie side of Hampi (across the Tungabhadra river). The hippie side is gaining popularity between the young crowd due to its laid back and super relaxing vibes. This blog covers everything you need to know about the ruin/ heritage side & the Hippie side.
Hemakuta hill is just near the Virupaksha Temple. The hill provides a gorgeous sight of the Virupaksha Temple and the other ruins of the Vijayanagar empire. The hill itself has a large number of ruins of temples, archways and pavilions. This is one of the places to view the splendid sunsets at Hampi.
Next morning, we headed towards Hippie Island Hampi, which indeed turned to be a super relaxing retreat and lots of fun. Watching the huge boulders, coracle ride in the Sanapur lake, driving a moped around the coconut trees and banana plantation, soaking in the view of paddy fields and chilling in the cafes are some of the highlights from this trip.
To get there, one has to catch a small boat and cross to the other side (INR 50 pp). The first boat leaves around 9 am and the last boat at 5:30 pm. Time is something you should always keep in mind to know the boundaries to enter and leave the “island”. Otherwise, you will have to face a route that takes an hour by rickshaw.
Across the other side of the river, you can rent a motorbike (INR 300) and drive through the amazing scenery, cool off by the lake. Coracle ride is a must experience to have.
Riding around the nearby villages from Hippie Island will take you to an ancient dreamland tucked between the giant boulders and coconut trees. Rice paddy fields are delight to watch on the ride by the way.
Next Day: Early morning head to Matanga Hill to experience the sun gleaming from the east. Its a delight to see the first ray from the hill. From the hill, you get the view of Banana plantation, Achutharaya temple & rocky mountains.
Post Breakfast, we headed out for one of the busy sightseeing day.
The Virupaksha Temple is located on the south bank of the river Tungabadra, in the ruins of the ancient city of Vijayanagar, capital of the Vijayanagara empire. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, as the consort of the local goddess Pampa who is associated with the Tungabadra River.
Virupaksha temple has no entry fees and is adjacent to the Hampi Bazaar. You can visit the temple in evening for the aarti, as the temple looks magnificent when lit.
Also, the temple has its own elephant named Laxmi. You can view the majestic animal in its shed on your left, as you enter the inner courtyard and get blessed. This is a must visit landmark having serene vibes.
Special recommendation: Have most of your meals in Mango Tree restaurant. Its the best in town with good food and hippie ambiance.
Vijay Vitthala Temple was our first stop of the day. It is one of the largest and the most famous structural landmark in Hampi. This temple is famous for Stone Chariot and Musical Pillars.
The renowned Vitthala Temple dates back to the 15th century. It was built during the reign of King Devaraya II, one of the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire. The Vittala Temple is presumed to be the grandest of all temples and monuments in Hampi. The temple exemplifies the immense creativity and architectural excellence possessed by the sculptors and artisans of the Vijayanagara era. (Our Guide Quoted)
We went ahead for a trail walk of 3 to 5 kms to visit Achyutaraya Temple. Very few people visit this place. Its extremely beautiful and more peaceful and calm. On this trail, there are lots of small interesting monuments to be seen.
Post Lunch, we headed out for the last chunk of our trip.
The Royal Enclosures in Hampi are one of the interesting ruins of Hampi. The huge fortified area was once the centre of the Vijayanagara Empire. The Royal Enclosure, as the name indicates, was the place where the King of Vijayanagara Empire lived and ruled from.
Post soaking in the beauty of Hippie Island, we had a late lunch in one of the best cafes in Hampi - "Laughing Buddha Cafe"
We decided to stay on the temple side as most of the heritage site were in close vicinity. There are lot of home stay options but we chose Gopi Guest House. One of the best places to stay in Hampi. Post check-in, we headed out for some scrumptious Lunch at the hotel rooftop.
At 4pm, we proceeded to explore the temple side to avoid scorching heat and of-course to witness the beautiful sunset.
Post watching this gorgeous sunset, we visited the Hampi Main Bazar and ended our day for dinner. We had our dinner with view at Gopi roof top restaurant.
In the evening,again we went for the sunset at Hemakuta Hills, as this place is so serene and celestial with carnatic music playing in background at the Virupaksha temple.
These historical range & structural design 400-500 yrs back made us even more overwhelmed and proud of the Indian architect and the culture.
This was one of the best trip we had. Hampi is now getting more popular and it deserves to be on must-visit place for every tourist.
Below is the cost breakup per couple for your reference (in INR):
VRL Sleeper Bus - (1350*2)*2 = 5400
Auto-rickshaw (Hospet to Hampi) = 250*2 = 500
Stay at Gopi with Brkfast = 2500*3 = 7500
Lunch / Dinner (all days) = 3000
Auto Sightseeing = 600
Boat & Bike in Hippie Island = (50*2*2) + 300 = 500
Coracle ride = 400
Guide & Misc = 750 + 1000 = 1750
Total = Approx INR 19,650 per couple for 3 nights.
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