In College, I had a prose piece called ’The Idea of a Pilgrimage’ or some such thing. In this the author points out that to enjoy a place, the best way to do it is to walk! If you enjoy walking and trekking, then Mt. Abu is the place for you. On the other hand, if you are the kind who likes historic places, well..there is the Delwara temple; if you are going to Abu for the drinking...you shouldn’t be reading this! But if you are someone who loves the outdoors, if you are passionate about nature, then I write for you...I write for Abu...!!
In the year that I spent in Abu, I climbed the hills and went to places which many of the locals would not have dreamt of...or heard of!! To enjoy Abu, you need to be have a passion for life!
The quiet mornings, the rains that repaint the entire scenery, the lakes, the craggy hills, the panthers, the view of the plains at sunset...you have it all!!
If you are planning on going to Abu, I would suggest you go there in October-November...before the winter and after the rains!
The town IS definitely crowded...but then, a town like Abu you will see all over India! Instead walk around Abu, walk all around it...skirt the hills around. While the rest go on tours to Sunset Point, Honeymoon Point, Gurushikhar...you walk around. Trust me...you will enjoy Abu 200% atleast!!
I have always approached Abu from Mumbai, so I will be able to tell you how to get there from this part of the world.
There are several trains that go through Abu...actually no train goes to Mt. Abu directly. It takes you to Abu Road...about 21km short of Mt. Abu. My favourite train is the Bandra-Jaipur one. It leaves from Bandra at around 9 PM and by 11 in the morning you are at Abu Rd. Once you get to Abu Rd, you can get one of those jeeps that take you up there. If you take the entire jeep it works out to about 200 to 250 Rs. There is also an option of sharing the seats on the jeep. This is cheaper...somewhere around 100 I would guess...but I have never tried that. Then there is also the bus. But I wouldnt personally recommend that since the road is winding and you could get sick. If you are a crazy about walking like me, you could walk up. but be prepared for a nice hard and tiring 3-4 hour walk. but it will be worth it!
Once you get there, depending on your budget you can pick up a hotel. For the wealthy few, there is the Cama Rajputana, the Hillock and a few others. For the middle range ones there is the Hilltone. The average one would be the Aravali or some of the other smaller ones just as you enter Abu...like Aradhana etc. For food, there is Kanak, which serves thalis and all that. Then near the Nakki lake, there is a new restaurant on the first floor (right hand side of the road). I have been there, and liked the food. There is also MKs on the way to the lake too. Reasonable all these!
I could go on and on...! If you go there, mail me from there and I will give you additional details!!
Mt. Abu is beautiful...discover it for yourself!