Experience the best of Mount Abu

Mount Abu rises from the plains of south-west Rajasthan to about 1,200 metres, a green, rocky plateau in a state of deserts. At its centre lies Nakki Lake, ringed by hills, which legend says the gods dug with their nails. The Dilwara Jain temples, built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, are carved from white marble, with ceilings and pillars worked in extraordinary detail. Guru Shikhar, at 1,722 metres, is the highest point of the Aravallis.

A wildlife sanctuary covers much of the plateau and shelters sloth bears and leopards. Sunset Point and Toad Rock are the favourite viewpoints, and Achalgarh has an old fort and a temple with a large brass bull. Gaumukh is a shrine where a spring flows from a stone cow's mouth. Udaipur, with its lake palaces, lies a few hours' drive to the east.

Rajasthani and Gujarati vegetarian meals dominate, with dal baati churma, gatte ki sabzi and full thalis, and the bazaar sells handicrafts, puppets and tie-dyed cloth. The plateau stays cool when the plains below are scorching. In the monsoon, from July to September, mist drapes the hills.