Hampi is full of ruins and I mean so many that it takes a full three days to see most of major big ones.  That doesn’t include all the little ones scattered around the area, hidden from the main roads that only a well-seasoned traveler would find or a good local guide would know.

You have four options for visiting the ruins:

Tour Bus: Expensive, boring and very restricted on what you will get to see.  They will only take you to the major ruins and your time is limited.  These are normally booked in Goa or other places and not something you’ll likely be able to reserve if you’re in Hampi already.

• Bonus: AC on the buses (sometimes when it works)

Rickshaw: One can be rented for the whole day from 300-500Rs ($6.75-$11.25 USD).  Your driver will know where everything is and will take you to whatever ruin you want.  Some will speak very good English and also double as a guide, others won’t and will basically just drive you to the location and wait.  Choose carefully as the cheapest isn’t always the best option when going this route.  The rickshaw guys are everywhere in Hampi, so it won’t be hard finding one.

• Bonus: If you taking a large bag with you, your driver can watch your gear while you explore.  Buy him a chia or Coca-Cola and it will go a long way for you!

Motorbike:  A daily rental of a bike can cost from 100Rs-250Rs ($2.25-$5.75 USD).  You will have to buy your own petrol, which will vary between shops but should costs about 75Rs-80Rs per-liter.  If you’re riding a lot on it, plan to buy at least 2 liters as the bikes are always rented with an empty tank.  If you know you’re going to rent one for more then a day, talk with the owner and ask for a discount and at the end of the day ask for the fuel to be saved for the next days use.  Most will do this for you and it can save you money in the long run.  I was able to rent a bike daily for 100Rs and when I brought it back each night the man would empty the tank for me in a water bottle to use the next day.  You really don’t need a map to do this option, as all the roads will have signs pointing to where the temples are.  Most motorbikes are automatic and are simple to operate.  I was never asked for an International Drivers License the whole time and didn’t have to surrender my passport either (they just copied the info on it)

• Bonus: Being able to explore on your own, at your own pace.  You will get to see more with this option then any other.

Bicycle: For next to nothing you can rent a good old fashion bike that the Dutch would be proud of to ride around and explore.  You won’t need to be in top physical shape to visit the sites, as the roads are pretty flat and there aren’t a lot of major hills there.  You won’t be able to cover as much ground with a bike but it’s a rewarding experience and the cheapest option for visiting the ruins.

• Bonus: You get a work out too!

Tips & Notes When Visiting the Ruins

• Take sunscreen!  It gets hot out there and there is very little shade.  Bottom line, if you don’t, you’ll cook and wish you had!
• Water, water, water!  Take a bottle with you before you leave, as there isn’t a lot of places to buy one along the roads.  There are a few but once you start to get hot, that water bottle will feel like a Godsend.
• Entrance fee to the three main temples is 250Rs ($5.75 USD) for foreigners (locals pay 40Rs) and is good for one-day entrance.  All the other ruins are free to enter.   Be sure to visit these all in the same day and plan to spend a half day seeing those three.
• Take a camera, any camera because this place is magically beautiful!  Have a full battery, an empty memory chip and don’t be shy.  Take as many photos as you can, try different perspectives and don’t be shy about asking for photographs with the locals there.  Odds are if your Western, they’ll be asking you for photos first anyways.
• Don’t just walk in, snap a few photos and leave.  Really explore the ruins at each site and you’ll be richly rewarded because so.  Some of the best finds for me was after I did my initial walk around I would do a second trip around the back or outside of it and I always found something that I would have missed if not.
• Don’t give kids pens at the sites.  I even had adults asking me for them and it’s just a way for them to ask for money.  Don’t support such behavior as it just compounds over time.  I must have been asked for a pen 20x per-day when there.  If you feel you need to give something, take some candy with you to give to the kids instead.  This will for sure make you hit with them all!
• Know where you want to be for sunset before hand.  Try and find a location high somewhere to get sweeping photographs of the landscape being soaked with the sunset’s vivid colors.
• Shooting photographs during the noon heat will be hard for most.  You will get a lot of blown out skies in your photos and the photos might not have that pop you hoped for.  Try putting your camera in “Manuel Mode” and dropping your exposure down 1 to 2 f-stops.  This was how I was able to get these photographs.  I later edited them and raised the exposure back up.  What I mean is, don’t just use your “Auto Settings” like 90% of people do.  Play around, find what works, adjust and learn.  It took me two days to finally find the right setting I needed for my camera.
• Hostels and Hotels are cheap in Hampi.  During the off season you can get a private room for as little as 75Rs ($1.70 USD) in a hostel.  Hotels will be 500+Rs ($11.25 USD).  During peak season prices will spike higher though.

* Note: All prices noted were as of March 2011

Posted on April 21st, 2011 Archived in Asia, India, Photo-Essay

Asia, Hampi, Hindu, India, Ruins, Temples

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