BHPian caravatar01 recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Just came back from a memorable 700km trip to Gandikota and Belum Caves. For people unaware of these locations, This amazing natural setting is also often known as ‘The Grand Canyon of India’, drawing direct comparisons to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA, in terms of viewpoints. Belum Caves, located around 70km from Gandikota, are the Indian subcontinent’s second-largest cave system, after the Krem Liat Prah caves in Meghalaya. This cave system was formed over the course of tens of thousands of years by the constant flow of underground water from the now-disappeared river Chitravathi. More history-geography lessons to follow in the post. Meanwhile, coming to the trip details. This was our first weekend trip in our Creta EV LR (of hopefully many, many more). Until now, we have only had day trips in our EV, with a maximum distance of 400km. This trip was supposed to be 700km+ with multiple charging stops, hence it was a great way to test the EV infrastructure for this trip. How did I plan the EV-friendly Route?Gandikota is about 300-350km from Bangalore, depending on where you stay and which route you take. There are 2 popular routes to take to Gandikota – one via Anantapur and the other via Kadiri (screenshots below). Although longer by almost 60km (each way), we decided to take the Anantpur route since we found it better suited for an EV. – Let me explain.Simulating the Kadiri Route for an EVRoute suggested by Google Maps : Bangalore – Chikkaballapur – Kadiri – Gandikota – Belum Caves – Anantapur – Bangalore Although Plugshare and Google Maps show there is a Tata Power Charger available in Kadiri, the reviews say it is not reliable. Hence, the last known reliable charger is Zeon at Samara Veg (on the Karnataka-AP border toll booth) for the onward journey. There are no listed chargers in the Gandikota -Belum Caves circuit. The first reliable charger(s) would be found in Anantpur on the return journey. The distance between the chargers would be around 336km, and with a few km detours for sightseeing and food, it would have been cutting it too close for me. My Creta EV provides a range of approximately 380km on a full charge with 4 passengers when charged on DC, for context. The EV-friendly route we took : Bangalore – Anantpur – Gandikota – Belum Caves – Anantpur – Bangalore In my research, we found Anantpur to be a great hub for EV charging. There are plenty of chargers, with likes of Chargezone, Jio-BP, and Voltran available. I zeroed in on Voltran as my charging partner for this trip due to 3 reasons: 1. Votran is partnered up with Tata ev Network and has 6 guns for 60KW fast charging. So the possibility of finding a working available charger was much higher. 2. Voltran does not require a wallet. It is UPI-based, with staff available at site to assist with charging. 3. Although not attached to any restaurant, this charging hub is close to (walking distance) KFC, Pista House, Kelvin Scale Ice cream and some other restaurants to fill up your tummies while your EV fills up on electricity. Voltran is a bit on the expensive side and charges Rs 21/unit + GST. There is a discount available for Tata cars, and the charge is Rs 16/unit + GST. I also found Anantapur charging stations to be perfectly located for a trip to Gandikota-Belum Caves from Bangalore. Anantpur – Gandikota – Belum Caves – Anantpur circuit is approximately 308km as per Google Maps. This allows for leisurely sightseeing and restaurant detours and still makes it back with ga ood 40-50km remaining. Peace of Mind! Hotels – Since Gandikota is not a super popular destination yet, the information available on the internet for this is not up to date or plentiful. For the same reason of not being very popular, the place is very little commercialised – we struggled to find good places to eat and stay. The popular belief on the internet is that there is only one decent resort at Gandikota, which is the AP tourism-run Haritha Resort (which we booked for our trip). The other option is to camp in tents at Sunrise Point. However, upon reaching there, we realised there are multiple homestays and guest houses that have come up there. There is a lodge called Balaji which is right on the Sunrise Point – and in my opinion is on best location. However, cannot comment on the quality since I only saw it from the outside. We only had coffee there in the evening, which was served in tiny paper cups (like shot glasses) and cost Rs 20/cup. Search on Google Maps for listed accommodations, since booking.com/Airbnb also does not list every place available to stay. We stayed at Haritha Resort, which is government-run. It has a huge acreage with basic facilities. We did not expect much from it, since we were burned by KSTDC-run Mayura resorts before. This one was much better, with clean sheets and bathrooms – good enough to spend the night. However, it does require good maintenance and management. The wallpaper was peeling off, and some room walls had cracks. When I go next, I would probably not stay here again. However, worthwhile to mention, they do provide a 3A socket for EV charging overnight for a cost of Rs 1000. The port is 150feet away, and you need a charging extension. However, the price is steep and an extension is required; it is worthwhile to consider if not other options. Having said that, the place is still remote, and do not expect any level of luxury. The only luxury would be feasting on the spectacular gorge and surrounding ruins. We had all of our meals in Gandikota (Lunch and Dinner) at Haritha resort only. The food was basic, but palatable. Utensils were not properly cleaned, but we did clean them ourselves before eating. ItineraryBelow is the itinerary we planned, and could follow to the T. Day 1: Drive to Gandikota via Anantapur (approx 350km, 6 hours). On the way, have breakfast at Samara Veg (93km from Home, 1:30 Hours) and charge at Zeon DC fast charger attached to it. After having breakfast, and whatever SOC reached, go to the Voltran Anantpur charger. Charge up to 95% (which would be enough to do the 305++ km circuit mentioned above) and then head to Gandikota Haritha resort. After Lunch, explore the fort ruins and the Gorge. Return for dinner to the resort. Day 2: Wake up early to catch the sunrise at Gandikota Sunrise Point. Check out of the hotel and reach Belum Caves. Have breakfast at a joint there. Explore Belum Caves, and then drive back to Voltran Anantpur to charge the car until 70% (enough to reach home). Have Lunch there and drive back home. Reach Home before sunset. Both chargers from Zeon and Voltran worked flawlessly, and charging was uneventful. Kudos to both CPOs. Zeon Charger at Samara’s Veg Voltran X Tata. EV charger at Anantpur (Courtesy: Voltran Website) Location of both chargers is below: Zeon Charger at Samara Veg: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4w2ggTpEuYkg1T2PA Voltran X Tata. EVV charger in Anantpur: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gG6M8hQYz2H3fSrMA Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
