Aug 26, 2024
Hampi the Unique - An amazing city unearthed. One could imagine the wealthy life of then kingdom and it's great administration by seeing the remains. Also a city of temples as we see many temples built during Vijaya Nagar Empire wherever we turned.
The boulders around the city gives a unique flavour to the place. The giant sculptures of Gods are not seen before in another place.
Should have been promoted by the Government very well considering its importance. River Thungabadra flows adjoining happily making the place lush green. A memorable place and must visit in one life time
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 26, 2024
Most memorable journey to Hampi - I would like to thank 5 senses tours for this memorable experience to Hampi. Where do I start,the journey from banglore to Hampi via car was something that I was grumpy about but as the journey started I was so elated to see beautiful sunflower, kambu farms to my left and right and picturesque windmill on the mountains which looked straight out of a movie set.
Coming to Hampi , we met our guide Mr. Rajesh who was soo knowledgeable and passionate about his wrk and loaded us with all the history and significance of this magnificent place. Some of my favourites where the Virupaksha temple , the elephants resting place, the queen's palace watch towers. Felt like I was walking through the sets of the movie Ayirathil Oruvan. Also the lunch which was arranged for us in a local home was the cherry on the top of this overall experience. People here were soo warm and kind felt completely safe travelling with my mom. Big thanks to Mr.Sathish for taking care with any of our concerns being the best photographer knowing the best angles and giving us all inputs about the local place cuisine and suggesting the best food joints . Our driver Mr. Murthy was an amazing always recieved us with a smile on his face. I would definitely suggest everyone to avail 5 senses tours for this beautiful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 28, 2024
It was good - It was good , we had fun and guide was good , he explained everything well . Driver was also punctual and nice . We really enjoyed the trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 18, 2024
Solo Trip - Good exercise with amazing views and friendly company - As a solo traveler, everything about this trip was excellent. Even though it was a last minute booking (less than 12hr from departure), arrangements were made swiftly with the driver Manjunath who was able to pick me up at 730am the next morning at the front gate and provided a comfortable ride to Hospet where I was able to check in to my hotel and take a small lunch at 1230pm. The driver returned at 130pm and together we continued to Hampi and met Rajesh who would be my guide for the next day and a half.
Although it was a pre-determined course through each location, Raj was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide who was able to adjust the pace of our excursion based upon how much time I wanted to spend at each area along the route. I was not familiar with the history prior to the tour but Raj was able to explain much of the background and historical significance with clear English.
Highlights of the tour include a small ride along the river (1500 IND extra) and the incredible sunset view from atop one of the hills. I recorded 8km of walking the first day and 11km the second. Great exercise with amazing views.
By the time we were meeting up at 9am for the second day, I was already booking an extension of the excursion with 5Senses. Again, within just a short time I had another 2-day itinerary confirmed with Manjunath as my driver.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 2, 2024
Need more time in Hampi! - Definitely needed more time in Hampi, next time I’m planning on camping there and would love to hike to Hanuman! Apparently it’s not usually that hot at the end of March (the heat pushed my limits for sure) but myself and the guide pushed on! The 1st day was super duper hot as we started the tour at the hottest time of the day once we arrived from Bengaluru. We started early the next morning and started making our way back to Bengaluru around lunchtime. Though it was the off season and extremely hot the 1st day, I appreciated less crowds. Mohan was an outstanding driver and went above and beyond making sure that I was able to get postage for my postcards to send back home and finish a little shopping for my family since I was on a tight schedule, he was very curious and genuine.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 12, 2024
Fantastic all inclusive tour. Perfect Time travel portal. - This was a very well organized, succinct tour that touched everything we wanted to see within a desired budget and hassle free. We were picked up in a nice and clean SUV from our hotel, with a good driver, boarded in to a resort for a night, meals provided and a decent guide to navigate the town and the amazing monuments of Hampi. We were very pleased with the overall arrangement and it went as smooth as I can imagine. The roads to Hampi are also amazing with several options to eat along the way. Don’t hesitate, go ahead and book them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 22, 2024
Unforgettable Experience Hampi in 4 days with Mohan and Rajaesh - The individually tailored four-days-Hampi-tour was an unforgettable experience! It was a great pleasure to travel together with very polite and knowledgeable driver and guide Mohan. He picked me up at Bangalore and on the way I could enjoy lots of interesting conversations about different topics concerning India. In Hampi we met guide Rajaesh R. Rajaesh did his best to create a super inspiring time and showed me many beautiful and interesting places. He is a never ending source of interesting stories around Hinduism and Hampis history! He is able to answer any question and finds solutions for any problem. Highly recommend!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 3, 2024
Bangalore to Hampi Tour - Our driver, Mohan, was very helpful because he was dedicated, respectful and gentlemanly. He also did his best to accommodate our sudden requests. Rajesh was very friendly and guided us while always making sure we understood. It was a lot of fun. I would like to meet these two again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 28, 2023
A great way to get introduced to Hampi - Having all the details taken care of -- driver, hotel, tour guide -- meant that we could relax on the long journey and focus on enjoying our visit. You definitely don't want to visit Hampi without a pre-arranged guide (other tourists were struggling to book one in the moment), both because the area is vast and confusing, and because the signage doesn't give enough of the story. Our guide was knowledgeable, spoke good English, and gave solid suggestions about add-ons we could work in along the way. This included a river walk, coracle boat ride (paid to them directly), and an chance to buy a local specialty (banana-leaf silk). We were able to stop for toilets and meals along the highway, and relax in the good hands of our driver.
Hampi is truly mind-blowing, and 1.5 days of visiting the site definitely only whet our appetite for more. Maybe 1.5 weeks would be enough to see everything? But this is the perfect introduction to a very important cultural site for the newcomer. It was nice to already know the story of the Ramayana beforehand, since Hampi is one of the key locations. If you're feeling scholarly, I also enjoyed having read Salman Rushdie's "Victory City" and Manu Pillai's "Rebel Sultans" beforehand (fiction and nonfiction, respectively). There are many stone carvings which connect to history and mythology and the culture of Hampi's long-gone residents, and having a knowledgeable guide made it possible to understand much about the city (not just seeing the sights).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 22, 2023
Fabulous not to be missed tour for all - young to old - The tour is excellent, not to be missed. Hampi is fabulous. The Vijaynagar monuments are breathtaking - temples, musical columns, palaces, etc. Also, Kishkindha from Ramayan, Hanuman birthplace are more things that we all can relate to. And the Korakal traditional float ride on Tungabhadra river was icing on the cake. For those from Maharashtra - we know Pandharpur Vitthal is called Kanada Raja or Kanadau Vitthalu Karnataku because in those days priests escaped Bahmani marauders with the Idol across Bhima river to Pandharpur. We see the original temple here. So many things that we can relate to.
Driver Mohan and Guide Manju both very courteous. Manju very knowledgeable about the area - knows all details, places, photo points etc. Both adjusted schedule to start early on day2 coz it rained on day1 afternoon. Car hotel was very good. And the place itself is beyond compare.
Thank you 5 Senses tours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
