We go the long way around on our Hampi Bicycle Tour, experiencing the magnificence of Hampi’s archaeology and natural beauty…
Bolder Than the Boulder!
As we pedalled away from Hosapete, in every direction we looked, the landscape was a surreal, prehistoric playground of giant granite monoliths. Red earth, brown rocks, and more rocks. Balanced precariously as a hard fought game of Jenga.
It was a simple plan… To deftly avoid the standard loop around the Hampi ruins and instead trace an arc around the entire region. The long way ’round.
Eager to exchange the sound of tourist’s clicking cameras for the quiet hum of our bicycle tyres. We soon left behind the town as we rode through villages. The ride a bit of a gamble, as we had no idea what lay ahead for us…
The Sandur Grinder… No Minor Matter, the Matter of Miners
Our ride began at 9 AM on a lazy Friday, but the story started some 2.5 billion years ago. A seesaw relationship between Hampi’s big boulders and Sandur’s iron rich hills, a form of tectonic neighbours. The Sandur hills, part of the Eastern Dharwar Craton, form a nice canoe. And at the base of this boat we pedalled marvelling at the green hills and red soil. The weather incredibly pleasant thanks to the natural micro-climate formed by the Sandur Schist Belt trapping the moisture in the forest.
The terrain was rolling, the road was good, the hills on either side of us were filled with the sound of music and suddenly the calm was broken by a storm. The storm of a chasing pack of 8-10 dogs. Wearily I stopped, got off my saddle and let fly the choicest of abuses from the Hindi heartland of Kanpur. As the doggos were suitably impressed with my vocabulary, they let us pass. After that I couldn’t just enjoy the scenery, as my third eye roved for the sign of anymore cunning canines.
Flat for Sale…
When riding in Bangalore, one cannot look in any direction without seeing an advertisement for a 2-3-4 BHK flat on sale. Riding on these rural roads, we were happy to see trees rather than hoardings, till we saw a flat. Unfortunately for us the flat was not in some high rise apartment complex, but on the rear wheel of Chaitra’s bike!
In a flash life changed from pumping the pedals with our legs to pumping the tyres with our hands. Always a good upper body workout for a cyclist. In typical Indian fashion, there was one person working and 6 peeps supervising the work! These young boys were returning from collecting leaves for their goats at home, when they stopped to chat and gawk at the fancy “gears and disc brakes”. Little did they realise how much more practical their bicycle was.
A sweaty brow later we were once again up and running, after having chilled with those kids. Interestingly, they spoke a mixture of Kannada, Marathi and Hindi, which was near impossible for us to understand when they spoke amongst themselves. But when speaking to us, they made it a point to switch to Kannada only. Half the kids attended school while the rest didn’t. Which made me hypothesize that some of the kids were local, while others were children of migrant labour from the north. A chance encounter because of a flat tyre turned out to be more instructive than destructive.
Of Blue Water and Bringing Steel to Sandur!
At around 25 km we took the road to bypass Sandur town and found ourselves standing in front of large body of water. The water looked particularly refreshing, considering, we were by that time melting in the sun. A local lad on a motorcycle, stopped to ask me for directions. Which I acquiesced by filling in the correct location on his phone. As I pedalled on, it made sense why he had stopped to ask me of all people for directions. There was absolutely nothing around, no shops, no villages, no people. But where there are hills rich with iron ore, there is mining. And where there is mining there are a line of dumpers ferrying the ore from Sandur to Toranagallu. I was also being ferried on my steel bike between the two towns. At the latter of which is the massive JSW Steel plant.
The ore doesn’t just reach the plant by road, there is also a 24 km long conveyor belt across the Narihalla reservoir. The dumper traffic magically disappeared once we passed the reservoir and turned away from the steel plant. And in the middle of nowhere we found ourselves riding on roads straight out of some planned city. With speed guns, planted trees, manicured bushes, it stood out like a sore thumb in contrast to the rawness of the rest of the landscape.
There we bumped into fellow cyclist Prasenjit Mukherjee. He was driving on the road from the plant to the housing built for the thousand of employees working in the plant. He was one such, as he told us, he had been working in the JSW plant for almost two decades. What we were even happier to know was that there was a small but thriving cycling community in that little township. He pointed us in the correct direction and confirmed that we were on the correct road for natural beauty. And also warned us about the presence of bears and leopards in that area.
That warning was reiterated by a couple of guys on a motorcycle who slowed to speak with us. They also enquired if we were foreigners! Cycling is too madcap for desis apparently…
Plastic Water and Spinning Wheels
With no desire to be given bear hugs or expecting leopards to change their spots, we pedalled on furiously. Our bottles were as dry as our throats with still absolutely nothing available along the way. Finally we reached the one and only village between Toranagallu and the highway, Joga.
A one shop village, we stopped there as we saw a bunch of old men sitting around the shop. There was not a woman in sight, just a village filled with old men. And young boys whipping their tyres with sticks as they chased behind us, intrigued by the sight of two random cyclists in their sleepy village.
We bought a couple of bottles of water, something which we dislike doing. Because you are never buying water, you are just buying plastic. As we topped up our bottles, a considerable crowd of babbling young boys had gathered around us. They were even more amazed to see one of the cyclists was a girl. Holy moly!
Chaitra offered to buy them buttermilk from the shop, but the reaction was the opposite of what we expected. As if they heard a gunshot, the boys scattered off in all directions, not one of them willing to have buttermilk. I thought they preferred chocolates to buttermilk and were insulted by the offer. But after Chaitra tried multiple times to buy them a round, with the exact same reaction, we finally gave up. One old man piped up, these boys had it drilled into their heads to never take anything from strangers. Because of the fear of children being kidnapped on such pretexts. The old man laughed as he looked at our cycles and the ample space we had for kidnapping!
Back to Boulders…
As we rode on from Joga, we noticed the changing landscape. The hills were dwindling away and were replaced once again by that Hampi’ness of big balancing rocks.
With the heat of the afternoon climaxing we made our way into the town of Hampi and drank a couple of fresh lime sodas before venturing out again. We then rolled through the rock strewn world, admiring the handiwork of humans in the name of kings and gods. But mostly admiring the handiwork of god in creating a gorgeous bit of earth!
After spending the evening exploring the many archaeological sites, we rode back to Hosapete. Completing a nice century after having gone the long way ’round Hampi!
Hampi/ Pampa Explorations
A photo essay of roaming around Hampi on two feet and two wheels… click on the images for a larger than life view!
How to Plan a Hampi Bicycle Tour?
Planning a bicycle ride in Hampi requires a bit of strategy. It isn’t like riding through the cool Western Ghats; it is a raw, exposure-heavy landscape that will test your hydration as much as your legs. Here is how to plan your own escape to this ancient capital.
Logistics: Getting To & Fro Hosapete from Bengaluru
Hosapete serves as the primary gateway to Hampi and sits roughly 350 km north of Bengaluru. It has significantly more accommodation and food options compared to staying in Hampi/ Kamalapura.
Getting there with your bicycle is straightforward if you choose the right mode of transport.
1. The Overnight Bus (The Cyclist’s Best Friend)
- The Route: Multiple operators, including the highly reliable KSRTC and private fleet operators, run frequent buses from Bengaluru to Hosapete Central Bus Stand.
- The Bike Strategy: State transport personnel (especially KSRTC) are generally well-habituated to accommodating cyclists. Arrive early at boarding points like Majestic, Anand Rao Circle, or Yeshwantpur. Pay the bus conductor for your bicycle to be stored in the luggage bay. Cheaper bicycles win over carbon bikes in such situations!
- Duration: Expect a 6-to-8-hour journey.
2. The Train Route (For Extra Peace of Mind)
- The Best Option: The Hampi Express (16592) leaves KSR Bengaluru (SBC) daily around 10:05 PM and deposits you at Hosapete Junction at 7:10 AM the next morning.
- The Bike Strategy: You can book your bicycle as luggage or cargo via the railway parcel office at the station. Ensure you arrive at least two hours before departure to complete the paperwork and securely tag your bike. You can also carry your bicycle in the compartment provided it is properly bagged.
3. Drive Down to Hampi (When Convenience Matters)
- Leave Early Morning: So that you reach Hosapete by late morning. It takes roughly 6 hours by road. It is an extraordinarily boring stretch of national highway with a lot of traffic, so don’t bother riding from Bangalore to Hosapete.
- Bike Strategy: Pack your bike into your car, on your car or behind your car, as per the bicycle racks you may or may not have.
READ: Travelling With your Bicycle by Bus, Train and Car in India
Best Season & Weather Window
- The Absolute Best Window: November to February. During these winter months, the mornings are crisp, the skies are brilliant blue, and the midday heat stays under a manageable 30°C.
- The Shoulder / Extreme Window (March to June): If you find yourself riding here in May; like the route mapped below, you are looking at more extreme conditions. Temperatures will routinely cross 36°C, and the humidity can hover near 77%, transforming the valleys into a giant kiln. But as our ride, it is hot, but easily manageable, plus there are fewer tourists due to it being off-season.
- The Rule of the Road: If riding in the warmer months, start early. Plan to be off the asphalt and safely tucked into a local eatery before the sun begins to cook the granite boulders.
Choosing Your Weapon: Type of Bicycle
Hampi’s terrain is a mixed bag of smooth state highways, broken village asphalt, and sandy, boulder-strewn dirt tracks.
- The Ideal Choice: An Endurance Road or Gravel Bike. A gravel bike is perfect. The roads are smooth and a road bike will also work. You want to be riding slow and enjoying nature, so an endurance geometry road bike is better.
- Tyre Preparation: Carry extra tubes and a patch kit. The thorny acacia bushes lining the rural roads are notorious for dropping tyre-shredding thorns.
Essential Gear
- Hydration: Two bottle cages are a non-negotiable minimum. Carry electrolytes. When the heat hits 36°C and you are logging massive efforts over the ridges, you need a little oomph!
- Food: You are going to get absolutely nothing along the way, eat before you leave or carry something for a snack along the way.
- The Mindset: You ain’t racing here. Don’t make it one! Enjoy the beautiful Sandur hills and appreciate 2.6 billion year old rock formations…
Route Map
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Also read, Cycle Touring To Munnar and Climbing the Wall That Is Kodaikanal