Mount Abu · Local’s Guide
15 Best Things to Do in Mount Abu
Rajasthan's only hill station is a strange and lovely anomaly: cool air, a lake in a bowl of rock, and inside a plain-walled compound at Dilwara, some of the most extraordinary marble carving on earth. Here are the fifteen things actually worth doing, in the order we would do them — plus the two timing rules that catch almost everyone out.
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Two rules
that catch people out
First: photography is prohibited inside the Dilwara temples, and it is properly enforced. Leave the camera in the car and take the memory instead. Second: non-Jain visitors are generally admitted to Dilwara only in the afternoons, with the mornings reserved for worship. The exact window shifts through the year, so check on the day rather than trusting a blog — including this one.
Everything else on this list is flexible. Dilwara is not. Plan your day around it and the rest falls into place.
The essentials
The five things
you came for
- ✓Dilwara Temples — five Jain temples built between the 11th and 13th centuries. The Vimal Vasahi (consecrated 1031) and the later Luna Vasahi carry ceilings and pillars worked so thin the marble seems lit from inside. No photography; afternoons for non-Jain visitors; no entry fee.
- ✓Nakki Lake — the lake in the middle of town, ringed by hills. Take a pedal boat at dusk and walk the shore afterwards.
- ✓Guru Shikhar — at 1,722 m, the highest peak of the Aravalli range. A short drive then a flight of steps. Go early, before the haze closes in on the view.
- ✓Sunset Point — it does exactly what it says, and it gets crowded. Arrive with time in hand, or take the quieter Honeymoon Point instead.
- ✓Toad Rock — the rock formation above Nakki Lake that genuinely does look like a toad. A ten-minute scramble, and the best view back over the water.
Worth the drive
Five more
that reward the effort
- ✓Achalgarh Fort and the Achaleshwar Mahadev temple — a 15th-century hill fort with a temple said to hold Shiva's toe print, on the way to Guru Shikhar.
- ✓Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary — sloth bears, leopards and a great deal of birdlife across the forested Aravalli slopes.
- ✓Trevor's Tank — a small crocodile-and-bird pool in the forest, quiet and green, and a genuine escape from the town.
- ✓Brahma Kumaris Peace Park and their headquarters at Madhuban — whatever your beliefs, the gardens are beautiful and the silence is real.
- ✓Adhar Devi (Arbuda Devi) temple — reached by around 360 steps cut into the rock, through a cleft you have to stoop to enter.
Slow it down
Five ways
to spend a lazy afternoon
- ✓Walk the full circuit of Nakki Lake — about an hour, and a different town from the boat.
- ✓Honeymoon Point for the sunset the crowds are not watching.
- ✓The Mount Abu bazaar for Rajasthani textiles, and roasted corn from the carts at dusk.
- ✓The Gaumukh temple, down a long flight of steps, where a spring runs through a carved cow's mouth.
- ✓Simply sit somewhere high with tea. It is the only place in Rajasthan where the air does that.
A plan
Mount Abu
in two days
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Day 1, morning | Arrive from Abu Road (about 28 km up the hill). Settle in; walk to Nakki Lake and scramble up Toad Rock. |
| Day 1, afternoon | Dilwara Temples — the non-Jain visiting window. No camera. Allow ninety unhurried minutes. |
| Day 1, evening | Sunset Point, or Honeymoon Point if you would rather not share it. Bazaar and dinner after. |
| Day 2, early | Guru Shikhar at 1,722 m, before the haze. Achalgarh and Achaleshwar Mahadev on the way back. |
| Day 2, afternoon | Trevor’s Tank or the wildlife sanctuary; the Peace Park if you want the quiet. |
| Day 2, evening | A boat on Nakki Lake, then descend to Abu Road, or drive on to Udaipur (about 185 km). |
Day 1, morning
- What to do
- Arrive from Abu Road (about 28 km up the hill). Settle in; walk to Nakki Lake and scramble up Toad Rock.
Day 1, afternoon
- What to do
- Dilwara Temples — the non-Jain visiting window. No camera. Allow ninety unhurried minutes.
Day 1, evening
- What to do
- Sunset Point, or Honeymoon Point if you would rather not share it. Bazaar and dinner after.
Day 2, early
- What to do
- Guru Shikhar at 1,722 m, before the haze. Achalgarh and Achaleshwar Mahadev on the way back.
Day 2, afternoon
- What to do
- Trevor’s Tank or the wildlife sanctuary; the Peace Park if you want the quiet.
Day 2, evening
- What to do
- A boat on Nakki Lake, then descend to Abu Road, or drive on to Udaipur (about 185 km).
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Best time
and how to reach
Mount Abu is the one place in Rajasthan that works all year. November to February is cool and clear, and genuinely cold at night — bring a proper layer, not a cardigan. March to June is the escape from the plains, when the rest of the state is unbearable. The monsoon, July to September, turns the hills green and misty and drops the prices.
The railhead is Abu Road, about 28 km down a winding hill road that takes the better part of an hour. The nearest airport is Udaipur (Maharana Pratap), around 185 km away; Ahmedabad, about 220 km, is the alternative. There is no station or airport on the hill itself.
Rangeelo Rajasthan
Worth seeing
with your own eyes
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Good to Know
Questions,
answered
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