With its simple, slow and rustic life, dhoti-clad villagers smiling at you, cows and buffaloes trespassing your path and its ruins narrating stories from the past, Hampi in monsoon is like a folk song which you do not understand completely but vibration of its musical notesare enough to wrap you within. You let go yourself into smoke and fog as the bird inside you flies high loosing to this poetic feeling of what we call Hampi – A magical place!!
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We had been to Hampi in the past to explore its ruins and temples (Read more: Hampi: Temples, Ruins and Hippie Fun). This time, we decided to go back during Monsoon only to relax at one of the huts next to Tungabhadra river. Usually Hampi remains quite humid through out the year but to our surprise weather was very pleasant. On top of it, overflowing Tungabhadra river (which normally remains dry) and greenery all around added to our excitement.
Here is our GoPro video encapsulating our complete ‘Hampi in Monsoon’ experience. Thanks Abhay Mudgal for below video and all pictures 🙂
Gallery: Hampi in Monsoon
We have written in detail about Hampi ruins and its temples from our past trip and you can read more here to plan your Hampi trip. For this trip, below gallery will speak for itself so as to excite you plan your next Hampi trip in monsoon.
Walking through green paddy fields, getting drenched in rains, crossing Tungabhadra river in a packed coracle boat, sitting idle while smoking in huts over-looking paddy fields and riding Enfield through its ruins – It was an altogether different Hampi experience for us this time.
Green Hampi in Monsoon
Hampi ruins drenched in rain
Chill life at Hampi
Riding Moped in Hampi
Tungabhadra Dam: Full in Flow
Tips for travelling to Hampi in Monsoon
In case you are planning to visit Hampi during rainy season (July and Aug), here are some quick tips to plan your trip better –
- Hampi gets flooded: Yes, this usually arid town gets flooded every year during rainy season. And it gets flooded to the level that even roads get submerged under water. So if you planning to visit Hampi, please call your hotel and confirm situation in advance. We had to cancel and reschedule our trip due to floods.
- Hampi Island gets cut off: Tungabhadra river, which usually remains dry, flows to the brim with water being released from Tungabhadra Dam. This cuts off Hampi island completely with rive blowing on all sides. Coracle boats are the only way to reach Hampi Islands. A boat can carry only 10 persons at a time, so you have to wait for almost an hour for your turn during weekends.
- Rains all the time: It rains almost all the time. In case, you enjoy rains, it should not be worrisome for you. Just take care to pack well so as not to get your bags drenched in rain.
- Hiring a bike: You can not take bike to Hampi islands as it remains cut off during rainy season and also bike is not allowed in temple area. So if you want to hire a bike, please enquire in advance for all the places you can take it. We were staying on the islands (Cut off with river overflowing) and could use our bike only for few hours on second day of our stay.
- Low tourists inflow: Only a handful of people visit Hampi during rainy months making it a quieter place to head and relax.
- Nice weather: Weather remains quite pleasant during this time, otherwise Hampi has arid climate and gets very hot during the day.
We hope that this helps you plan your Hampi trip better. Please drop comments below in case you need any additional information or want to share more with fellow travellers.