Mumbai to Pushkar With a Dog
Roughly 1080km by road, which is around 17 hours of driving. Almost nobody does this by car with a dog. Train or plane is the sensible route.
The route works the same from either end, so read it whether you are starting in Mumbai or in Pushkar.
Do not drive this one
Around 1080km each way. Almost nobody does this by car with a dog, and the ones who do wish they had booked the train. Railhead: Ajmer, roughly 30 minutes away.
Leaving Mumbai
Pushkar lies due north of Mumbai, roughly 1080km by road. Getting out of Mumbai is the journey's hardest hour. The Expressway and the eastern exits both jam from about 7am, and weekend departures are worse than weekday ones. Leaving before 6am is the single change that most improves a Mumbai road trip.
Where to break this journey
A drive this long only works split, and these are the sensible splits.
Of the 57 destinations we cover, Pushkar is the 17th closest to Mumbai.
Closer from Mumbai, if this is further than you wanted
- Mumbai to Gokarna , about 13 hours, beach in Karnataka
- Mumbai to Udaipur , about 12 hours, heritage in Rajasthan
- Mumbai to Goa , about 12 hours, beach in Goa
Pushkar in one paragraph
A temple town with strict rules around the lake and ghats, where pets are not permitted. Very crowded during the annual camel fair, which is overwhelming for most dogs.
The full Pushkar guide runs through access, restrictions, hazards and what the weather does month by month.
Veterinary access at the far end
Basic care in Pushkar, better facilities in Ajmer roughly 30 minutes away.
Save a clinic to your phone while you are still in Mumbai, along with a second one in case the first does not answer. Emergency vets by city.
Timing it from Mumbai
Humidity rather than heat is the Mumbai problem. Skin and ear infections are constant, and the monsoon adds standing water, which carries leptospirosis risk for dogs who walk through flooded streets.
Monsoon, roughly June to September, brings paw infections, leptospirosis risk and dogs who will not go outside. Ganpati and Diwali both bring firework and crowd stress.
Set that against Pushkar, where the advice is to go october to march and avoid April to June. The overlap between those two windows is your actual travel season, and it is usually narrower than either one suggests on its own.
Doing this journey with your dog
At around 17 hours of driving this is two days each way, which is the argument for the train. Motion sickness shows up in the first hour and is worth testing before the day itself. Drooling, yawning and restlessness come before the vomiting, and a dog that shows them on a twenty minute drive will not enjoy 17 hours. Speak to a vet about it in advance rather than on the road. It is also the strongest argument for the train.
Our breed climate checker scores how your breed copes with the conditions at Pushkar, and the travel hub has the other 56 destinations if this one turns out to be the wrong fit.
Questions people ask
How far is Pushkar from Mumbai?
Roughly 1080km by road, due north of Mumbai, which is around 17 hours of driving. At that distance almost nobody drives it with a dog, and the figure is an estimate rather than a looked-up number.
Should I fly or take the train from Mumbai to Pushkar?
For a dog over about 10kg the answer is the train. For a small dog either works, and the deciding factor is usually whether you can get a confirmed first class booking rather than anything to do with the animal.
Can I drive from Mumbai to Pushkar with a dog if I want to?
You can, over two or three days. Mount Abu, Udaipur, Nashik sit broadly along the corridor and make sensible overnight stops.
What is the best time to visit Pushkar with a dog?
October to March. Avoid April to June, because extreme heat.
Do I need to book pet friendly stays in Pushkar ahead?
Yes, and confirm by phone rather than trusting a listing. Properties marked pet friendly frequently turn out to mean small dogs only, or specific rooms, or an undisclosed fee. Get the size limit in writing.
What should I pack for Mumbai to Pushkar?
Water and a collapsible bowl, their own food rather than a new one, the physical vaccination card, any medication, a spare lead, poo bags and an old towel. The vaccination card is the item people leave behind and then need.
Times shown are calculated, using terrain and distance to estimate an effective speed. Verified against 56 known routes. Traffic, roadworks and one bad ghat section can each add an hour.
Make this a real plan
The planner takes your dog's size, age and travel tolerance into account and builds the schedule around it.
Use the plannerMore on Pushkar: the full destination guide.