Ride with me #8 - Fascinating Underground world of Belum Caves (Part 2)

Namaste Steemit!

The beautiful caves that lie in the middle of almost nowhere, is where we were headed to, after the Grand Canyon of India -Gandikota. The historic Belum caves is the second largest and longest cave system in India. The caves are known for their unique formations, the caves were formed million of years ago.

Exploring the often dark and unknown interiors of these fascinating natural formations is certainly an unforgettable experience, as diving into uncharted waters that reveal a whole different world.

The total length of the cave is 3,230 meter, and it goes as deep as 46meters at one point, where there's an underwater stream that flows throughout the year. A natural waterfall called Patalganga, which flows over slippery rocks, before disappearing into the depths of the earth.

The cave consists of various long passages, large cavities with fresh water and water tunnels.
If there is any place on land that matches the beauty and mystique of the depths of oceans, it has to be the magical underground world of Caves.

We were lost in exploration, but we knew we had very little time, as It was already getting dark and we knew we had to reach the highway at the earliest. By then both are phones were switched off and we had no idea whether we were riding in the right direction or not... we were so lost, but as we passed by the villages we asked the local people to guide us on the road. Before my phone died I remember seeing a route on Google that said 365 km more to Hyderabad which would take 6 hours. But we kept on riding through villages and small towns with no sight of the Highway and it was already 9.00 pm and we hadn't eaten anything since morning, just stopped at one small shop and picked up some biscuit packets and sped away before the crowd accumulated.

The roads were terrible and oh so dark, passing through a lot of forest area gave us the creeps, by now it was more than 12 hours of continuous riding. the only fear was hope nothing happens to the bike and we wouldn't have to stop on these lonely roads. Times like these is when you really believe in the power of prayer.

Following the moon light and as directed by the locals we continued riding on the narrow lonely rough roads, when suddenly there was this whole burst of lights, which looked more like (I dozed off and I was in dream) suddenly, unexplainable, but sort of looked like Disney lands castles loaded with lights from afar...

Snapping out of it as I rode closer, I realized it was a humongous cement factory in between nothingness and as we got closer to it, it just kept getting bigger and bigger. The golden lights from the factory were so flashy and bright that it blinded me, as we were riding in the dark for so many hours.

PC : Krzysztof Burek

It was the longest ride. We reached our destination at 03:30 am the next morning after getting lost and riding an additional 300kms, 17 hours on the saddle, Struggling to ride, stopping every 15 minutes for a cup of coffee. I'm glad it was worth it and we visited this place and reached our destination safely.

Getting to Belum Caves:
By road:
Nearest town: Banganapalle (25 km)
Nearest City: Kurnool

By rail:
Nearest railway station Tadipatri(30 km) – best option if you are from Chennai, Bangalore.

By air:
Nearest airport: Bangalore and Hyderabad at 330 KM.

Entrance ticket costs Rs.40
Timings 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM
A restaurant and a small shop at the entrance of Belum Caves.

My rider friend Sana all tired and excited to see the caves

Accommodation:
Accommodation is available at Haritha Gandikota or Banganapalle and Tadipatri.
Carry enough water bottles as it is very humid inside the caves.

I am sure the pictures tell you that this is definitely a must visit place. But what pictures don't tell you is the feeling you get when you are physically there in the caves. So do visit and spread the message of Incredible India!

Thank you for following me on this ride to Belum Caves, more exciting travel stories coming up!

Till then please share your views, upvote and resteem @Bikergirl
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