Hampi, a 4 day trip to the historical UNESCO world heritage city

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Day 1

Check in to the Hotel, Evolve Back

1.1  - Hemakuta Hill Temple Complex 

Visit Duration: 1 Hour

Don’t miss the sunset view from Hemakuta Hill. Is opposite to Virupaksha temple. One can find tourist guides near to the temple. We were fortunate to get a good informative guide from here, who joined us each day for a guided tour (2 days package) and was flexible on the itinerary and timings. 

Back to the hotel for a wide-spread buffet, with live music

Day 2

Start early, with a temple visit

2.1 Sri Virupaksha Temple

Visit Duration: 1 – 1.5 hours

Recommend to reach the temple around 7-8 am in the morning. During that time, you can also see the morning aarti and the elephant named “Lakshmi” walking towards the river for her daily bath.

2.2 Kadalekalu Ganesha

Visit Duration: 30 minutes

Historic temple featuring elaborate carvings & an enormous sculpture of Lord Ganesha. Kadalekalu Ganesh is a crucial religious attraction in Hampi. Visitors will be experiencing traditional stone architecture in this temple. There is a 15 ft long monolithic stone statue of Lord Ganesha which is believed as the largest in the world. 

2.3 Sasivekalu Ganesha Temple

Visit Duration: 15 minutes

Located on the south side of the Hemakuta Hill, the Sasivekalu Ganesha Temple derives its name from the resemblance between Ganesha’s belly and a mustard seed which is locally known as Sasivekalu.

2.4 Badavilinga Temple

Visit Duration: 15 minutes

Ancient temple featuring a shrine & pedestal with a Hindu linga, surrounded by a pool of water.

2.5 Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

Visit Duration: 15 minutes

The Lakshmi Narasimha statue is one of the most imposing sculptures found in the ruined town of Hampi. The speciality of the sculpture is that it is the largest monolith statue in Hampi. 

If the visit to Sri Virupaksha Temple takes longer, and planning to cover the next leg with Vijaya Vittala temple during morning itself, one can cover places 2-5 (above) in the evening, ending with sunset at Hemakuta hill

Breakfast, and resume for the next leg of the tour

3.1 Vijaya Vittala Temple, Stone Chariot

Visit Duration: 2 hours

One can take vehicle or a walk through the riverside Trek path. Vehicles are not allowed to travel on the last one kilometer of the road leading to the temple which is why you either need to walk or take a ride in the golf cart provided at the front gate. The Tungabhadra riverside trek Path has many shrines, carved artefacts, boulders and ruins of ancient structures and goes along-side the river. It will be a serene walk of around 2 km. The same ticket can be used for Lotus Mahal and Queen’s bath. 

3.2 Queen’s Bath

Visit Duration: 45 minutes

Ruins of an ornate, historic bathing chamber used by the king & his wives, with an outdoor pool. This majestic and enormous ancient building sets the clock back and is one of the major places to see in Hampi.

3.3 Royal Enclosure

Visit Duration: 45 minutes

Historic site with remnants of the royal complex where the king of the Vijayanagara empire lived. It has a beautiful, large stepped tank. Discovered in 1985, the stepped tank is considered one of the most well-preserved structures in the Royal Enclosure. This is a 5 tiered tank that covers an area of 22 square meters and has a depth of 7 meters. 

3.4 Kamal Mahal / Lotus Mahal

Visit Duration: 45 minutes

It is one of the fine architectural designed palaces that are uniquely identified by its lotus look like structure. This glorious building is within the Zenana Enclosure, a segregated area that is used by the royal women of Vijayanagara Dynasty. The palace is surrounded by 24 pillars to provide support to this lotus-shaped palace. 

3.5 Elephant's stables

Visit Duration: 45 minutes

Indo-Islamic style structure used as the stables for the royal elephants of the Vijayanagara Empire. 

Stopped for lunch at Green Restaurant & Catering. Highly recommended by the guides, decent restaurant. Try their banana flower curry.

Day 3

Start early, with a temple visit

4.1 Hanuman Temple

Visit Duration: 2 hours

Hanuman Temple is another famous religious site located on the top of the Anjaneya Hill which is considered as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. It takes 30mins – 44mins to reach the top by stairs which is 570 in total, and you get a marvelous view of the place from there.

Beware of Monkeys

4.2  Coracle ride on the Sanapur Lake

Evening, plan for a coracle ride on the Sanapur Lake. Truly awesome, unique experience, pristine, calm lake, great sunset view. Coracles, also known as Dongis sometimes, are round boats traditionally used to ferry people and livestock across rivers. 

On the way back, took a pit stop at Tutti Hampicafé, famous amongst the travellers. Loved the coffee there. 

Day 4

Get ready for sunrise view, not to miss while at Hampi. We tried the less crowded Malyavanta hill. Is one of the few hilltops in Hampi where one can reach by a vehicle. Make sure that you reach the hill early, before the sun sets to rise (watch out for the sunrise timings)


Others Places (we couldn’t explore)

  • Hampi archaeological ruins, and museum
  • Matanga Hill: Matanga Hill offers panoramic views of the historical ruins of Hampi and its surroundings. After trekking up the hill for around 30 minutes, you will find Veerabhadra Temple sitting right at the top of Matanga Hill. This temple has a rooftop, which is unarguably the best place to witness sunrise and sunset over the lovely landscape of this historical Hampi town.
  • Riverside Ruins: An array of 108 Shiva Lingas carved on the flat rocky surface and a finely rock-carved sculpture of Lord Vishnu in a reclining position make Riverside Ruins one of the most enticing places to visit in and around Hampi.
  • Tungabhadra Dam & Sanctuary: Among famous attractions in Hampi and surrounding places to visit, the Tungabhadra Dam pure natural bliss. With lovely flamingos playing around the beautiful garden on one side of Tungabhadra Dam, it’s the best place to take out your camera for some great shots. Water fountain at 7 pm
  • Hazara Rama Temple: Hazara Rama Temple is another beautiful attraction in Hampi that showcases the royal era. The temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and the walls here exhibit the significant chapters of Ramayana through pictography. 
  • Tiruvengalanatha Temple: Also known as Achyuta Raya Temple, it is one of the popular and stunning places to visit in Hampi. 


Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239, India

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