UKC

Hi all, 

Annual forum post asking for advice on Hampi. I'm going in January and looking for a bit of advice on the following: 

Guidebook? Anyone got a second hand copy of the golden boulders book they wish to sell? Can you manage ok without the guidebook when you're there? 

Accommodation? Is Goan corner still the place to go. I appreciate they've had to relocate. Have tried to get in touch with them but no luck yet.

Any major changes since the whole Unesco site changes that's essential to know?

Chalk? Worth taking a bag with me or can you buy there?

Appreciate any advice. If anyone else is going to be there in January, would be good to hear from you.

I went to Hampi back in January 2011. I can’t offer any advice on guidebook - it was a case of getting a faded photocopy of a photocopy from Goan Corner back then, where you could also hire mats (very worn back then). 
 

What advice I can give is to get up early to boulder, as it gets hot from very early on in the day & is easily mid to high 20s by midday. The boulders are fairly spread out on the plateau, so, despite there being a lot to climb, it’s good to have a plan. Much of it is pretty highball, so it’s good to team up with others & even consider bringing a rope & harness  (I didn’t do this but would consider it if going for longer than a few days - sorry, can’t remember if it’s sport, trad or a mix when it comes to routes). On chalk - you might be able to get hold of it now but not back when I went & others were understandably a little reticent to share their own limited supply. 
 

I have mixed feelings about the clearance of the hostels over the river. On the one hand, it provided much needed income for a population in need of it. On the other, it was a circus of travelling westerners (of which I was certainly one), keen to buy cheap hash but with little respect for local traditions (it’s an important holy site). But that’s a different conversation. 
 

Hope you enjoy your trip, it’s an amazing place. 

I was going to suggest that you contact people with recent ascents

But there's only one logged climb in the last 12 months!

Maybe its not as popular as it used to be?

I was there in February this year on part of a bigger trip, so had one day climbing with a lad called Sunny/ Sunni, ask around in the village. He has matts and would be worth a day as a guide to you to show you around.
TBH on reflection I cannot say I saw many climbers, however, there were not many Europeans there post lock downs and travel was just starting up again, and there is a lot of rock there.
As to accommodation, just book it when you get there, stay flexible. As you walk down Hampi Bazaar Street towards the Temple, the village is on the right, and there is accommodation on your left, I tried both, and preferred the left side. But as I said, as a climber you may relocate, the climbing we did we had to cross the river.
Do not neglect the Heritage side of things, it is amazing, and my top tip is visit the musueum first which gives an over view of the entire complex, which is huge and takes some getting your head around and you can buy the guidebook (not climbing, the temples) dead cheap.
Also the rock is super friction and will trash your fingers, it looks like the stuff in Yosemite, but is super "sharp", so I would say definitely take tape and chalk.
An amazing place, enjoy

That’s interesting that there weren’t many climbers around when you visited - 12/13 years ago when I went, they weren’t in the majority but there were a lot (maybe two fifths of backpackers). And yes, your right about the rock being very sharp - those granite crimps are making my finger sore thinking about them!

Another thing I’d add is that it can be busy around holy festivals - great to immerse yourself in but worth considering, as this can impact on finding both accommodation & transport (speaking as someone who has naively turned up late in the day in Indian towns on such occasions, only to find accommodation full!)

Possibly my experience was not typical, things have moved so fast it is hard to recall the travel environment I booked my flights in, in 2022. For UK travellers even E Visas were not available. I have just looked on Booking.com and there looks little availability in mid January for accomodation.

Yeah, I guess that coming out of lockdown restrictions in so many places worldwide is perhaps likely I have had a sizeable impact on numbers. It’s also now a long time since I went to Hampi &, by all accounts, a lot has changed there in ~13 years. When I last went travelling in India, it was still a case of just rocking up to a hostel & booking a room - if they didn’t have one, there were usually several others that did (with festival times being an exception). Caveat here - I stayed in backpacker hostels that were basic & in some cases a bit scuzzy. Is most booking done online now?

Oh, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself!

I went in 2007 and it was definitely a good idea to get up early to make the most of the cooler weather. I'd imagine that's only got worse in the intervening 17 years or so

Ha! Didn’t notice that mistype!