Udaipur to Mount Abu — Hill Station Escape
From lake heat to hill cool in 3 hours. The air changes. The temperature drops. You exhale.
The Route
163 km of climbing. The first two hours are flat Rajasthan, dry and warm. Then the road starts winding upward and everything changes. The air cools. Trees appear. You roll down the window and the temperature has dropped ten degrees. Mount Abu is Rajasthan's only hill station, and arriving here after days in the desert plains feels like someone turned on the air conditioning for an entire town. The Dilwara Jain Temples alone justify the drive: 11th-century marble carved so finely it looks like lace. But the relief of altitude is its own reward.
Distance
163 km
Drive Time
3 hrs
Hired Car
₹2,500
Getting There
Hired Car
₹2,500Round trip with driver. Comfortable, flexible, and the driver handles the winding hill road so you can enjoy the scenery. Book through your hotel.
RSRTC Bus
₹200–300Government bus from Udaipur bus stand. 4 hours, basic but it gets you up the hill. Multiple daily departures. No frills, no flexibility, but the ticket price leaves more money for lunch with a view.
What to Do in Mount Abu
Dilwara Jain Temples
FreeDuration: 1.5–2 hours
The reason to come. Five marble temples built between the 11th and 13th centuries. The ceiling of Vimal Vasahi is so intricately carved it genuinely looks like lace draped in stone. No photography inside, which is frustrating until you realize the craftsmanship is better absorbed without a screen between you and it. Take your time. Look up. Then look up again.
Nakki Lake
₹100 boatingDuration: 45 min – 1 hour
A pleasant lake surrounded by hills. Pedal boats, row boats, a gentle breeze. It won’t rewrite your trip, but after the heat of Udaipur, sitting by water at 1,200 metres with cool air on your face is quietly wonderful. The market around it has decent food stalls for a mid-walk snack.
Sunset Point
FreeDuration: 30–45 min
Short walk from town to a viewpoint over the Aravalli plains. The sunset is solid. Not Udaipur-over-the-lake magical, but the altitude and the open sky give it a different quality. Gets crowded with domestic tourists. Snack vendors everywhere. Go for the view, stay for the chai.
Guru Shikhar
FreeDuration: 1 hour
Rajasthan’s highest point. 1,722 metres. A short drive plus a climb from town. At the top: the entire Aravalli range laid out below you, a small Vishnu temple, and air so clean it feels like you’ve left Rajasthan entirely. If you have an extra hour, the view is worth every step.
Real Talk from a Lakeside Local
Is Mount Abu a day trip or overnight?
Both work. Leave Udaipur at 7 AM, hit Dilwara Temples first, add one more spot, back by evening. But staying overnight is where the real value is. After days of Rajasthan heat, sleeping in cool hill air with the windows open is a small luxury. One night is plenty. Two is a proper escape.
Best time to visit Mount Abu?
October to March, same as Udaipur. But here’s the thing: Mount Abu is cooler year-round. Even in May, temperatures rarely cross 33°C. While Udaipur bakes at 42°C, Mount Abu feels like a different country. Monsoon brings lush greenery but the hill roads get foggy. Worth the trade-off if you like drama.
Written by
The Udaipur Itinerary Team
We're a small team of Udaipur-based writers and locals who've spent years navigating the ghats, haggling with boat operators, and watching sunsets from every rooftop in the Old City. We test every route, eat at every restaurant we recommend, and update our guides when prices or timings change.
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