Gandikota, popularly known as the Grand Canyon of India, is surprisingly not that popular! Its unique terrain makes it a one-of-a-kind place in India. This, clubbed with the amazing camping experience, makes it a real hidden gem. Unless you have already been to the Grand Canyon in the USA, I would definitely recommend you to visit Gandikota. The more I heard or read about it, the more I wanted to go there, and finally in August’19, a friend and I planned a weekend trip to Gandikota.

Duration and Time of Visit

2 days, 1 night
August mid

To and From

Stay

Itinerary

Day 1: Roadtrip - Fort - Bonfire

• I collected the car early morning from the Drivezy Bellandur hub, picked up my friend from Whitefield and we dashed out of the city
• It is a great drive, especially the last 2 hours or so - fast highways, negligible traffic, beautiful scenes. As a bonus, it was raining the day we went! Being a long drive, we made only few stops:
  • An Udupi restaurant for a heavy South Indian breakfast
  • A gorgeous field of sunflowers
  • 5 minutes on the roadside, for my friend to puke once(!)

• We reached the Haritha Resort in Gandikota (literally the only establishment in that area!) around 2:30pm
  • We were hoping to find a good restaurant at the resort, but were extremely disappointed to find only a canteen (similar to a college mess) which served only rice and curry. I think the only reason that place is surviving is because there is no other alternative for some kilometers at least!
  • I was aware of the tent-stay option at Gandikota and enquired one of the staff members at the resort about it. He offered to connect us to the person, but himself negotiated the price with us - I think the staff members help generate leads for the tent companies and hence you can have a word with either of them. I think we got a pretty good deal - Rs. 900 per person per night, and Rs. 250 per person for kayaking!
• On seeing the Campsite, “blown away” would be an understatement for what we felt! It was better than anything we had imagined
  • It was right at the edge of the cliff, next to the fort, atop the Pennar river
  • There were some 50 tents pitched next to each other, all occupied
  • The tents were spacious and of good quality; same was true for the sleeping bags provided
  • There was also a clean toilet complex next to the site
  • We spent about 1 hour just exploring the space, the tent, the view - soaking it all in

• We decided to visit the Gandikota Fort in the evening
  • Its a formerly grand, but currently dilapidated fort, with a long history and large footprint
  • There are several buildings within the complex, all made of stone
  • Highlights: I liked the architecture of Ranganathaswamy Temple, Mosque, Granary, especially the fact that the Temple and the Mosque were so close to each other
  • We climbed a small wall at the Ranganathaswamy Temple, found a spot on the side-porch cut-off from public view and spent two peaceful hours watching the sun go down in front of us

• Late evening, we returned to the campsite
  • To our dismay, dinner was brought from Haritha Resort. But we were too hungry to complain
  • As a good compensation for that, the camp guys put several small bonfires all across the campsite, where people clustered together and sat till late into the night. We had one right in front of our tent

Day 2: Hiking - Kayaking - Mylavaram Dam

• It wasn’t a clear sunrise, but the play of colours against the canyons and the river still made the morning mesmerising
• Post breakfast (again from Haritha!), we started off on the hike from the top of the canyon to the river at the bottom, where we were supposed to do kayaking
  • It’s a long but easy hike of about 30 minutes - from kids to elders, everyone was doing it, with varying levels of fatigue. Only towards the end do you need to take support of your hands. Also, there are many other people doing it with you, hence that keeps you going
  • The views along the route are amazing - looking from different angles at the rugged landmasses rising from the river and the vegetation on them

People hiking down the canyon to the river

• At the river, the person in-charge guided us to our kayak, gave instructions and with his gentle push, off we were on our 45 minutes excursion
  • It’s a surreal experience going near the edges of the river and looking at the canyons above on both sides. Do try this!
  • The water is quite still in that area, only a mild drift of the river, hence making the adventure very safe

• Post kayaking, we hiked back up, stopping at some of the view points to rest and click pictures
• On the way back to Bangalore, we first hit the Mylavaram Dam, less than 10 kms from the campsite
  • Its a huge reservoir on the same river, somehow not very popular, and hence empty
  • Being alone on a dam is one of the most amazing feelings: alone, in front of a vast water body, which is totally calm, held together by a wall of rock, on which you stand. I have had this opportunity some times now and always look forward to it

• The roadtrip back was equally pleasing as the onward journey. But somehow return journeys always seem quicker…

Major Expenses

• Self-drive rental car (including fuel): Rs. 10,900
• Tent (including 3 meals): Rs. 900 per person
• Kayaking: Rs. 250 per person
• Toll: Rs. 360
• Food and drinks

Summary of Things To Do

Things we did:

• Haritha Resort
• Campsite
• Gandikota Fort
• Hike to the river
• Kayakaing
• Mylavaram Dam

Things we didn’t do:

• Belum Caves: We had to be back home by the evening hence had to skip. Definitely visit them if time permits. It is the largest cave system on the Indian Subcontinent

Tips and Resources

• Gandikota - History, Geography and Architecture: On Wikipedia
• If it’s a busy weekend, it’s best to reach a bit early so as to get a vacant tent
• It’s a good idea to carry some things to eat since all you get is fried rice at the campsite! There are only few small shops which serve some other cooked and packaged items
• Carry the things you might need for camping (toiletries, first aid)