Thane to Munnar With a Dog
Roughly 1600km by road, which is around 22 hours of driving. Almost nobody does this by car with a dog. Train or plane is the sensible route.
One page for both legs. The return from Munnar covers identical ground, usually with a more tired dog.
Do not drive this one
1600km is a distance to be travelled rather than driven. The station for Munnar is Aluva or Ernakulam, roughly 4 hours below.
Leaving Thane
Munnar lies south east of Thane, roughly 1600km by road. Thane sits on the right side of the bottleneck, which is the one real advantage of starting here. Ghodbunder Road puts you on the Mumbai Nashik and the Ahmedabad highways without the western suburbs, and a Thane departure at eight is usually calmer than a Mumbai departure at six.
Where to break this journey
Two or three days each way by road, and these are the natural staging points.
- Gokarna , beach in Karnataka, around 49% of the way
- Goa , beach in Goa, around 38% of the way
- Chikmagalur , hill in Karnataka, around 65% of the way
Of the 57 destinations we cover, Munnar is the 30th closest to Thane.
Closer from Thane, if this is further than you wanted
- Thane to Gokarna , about 13 hours, beach in Karnataka
- Thane to Udaipur , about 12 hours, heritage in Rajasthan
- Thane to Rann of Kutch , about 12 hours, desert in Gujarat
Munnar in one paragraph
Tea estate country with cool air and long walks. Leeches during and after monsoon are unavoidable on wet trails. Eravikulam National Park nearby does not permit pets.
The full Munnar guide has the detail on what is walkable, what is off limits to dogs and what the season does to the place.
Veterinary access at the far end
Veterinary help in Munnar town, with better facilities in Kochi about 4 hours away.
Find the number before you leave Thane. Searching for it at 11pm in an unfamiliar town is the worst possible time. Emergency vets by city.
Timing it from Thane
Humid like Mumbai, with more green space. Ticks are a bigger issue here than in central Mumbai.
Monsoon and firework season are the two peaks.
Set that against Munnar, where the advice is to go september to march and avoid June to August. 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 22 hours of driving this is two days each way, which is the argument for the train. Nails and paws matter more than people expect on a trip like this. A dog that has been on tile and carpet for months meets hot tarmac, gravel and unfamiliar ground at the far end of 22 hours in a car. Check the pads before you leave, keep the nails short enough that they are not taking the landing, and carry something for a cut.
Our breed climate checker scores how your breed copes with the conditions at Munnar, 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 Munnar from Thane?
Roughly 1600km by road, south east of Thane, which is around 22 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 Thane to Munnar?
Depends entirely on size. Under about 7kg and the cabin is realistic, which makes flying to Munnar the sensible choice. Above that you are looking at the hold, and at that point the train from Thane is both cheaper and kinder.
Can I drive from Thane to Munnar with a dog if I want to?
You can, over two or three days. Gokarna, Goa, Chikmagalur sit broadly along the corridor and make sensible overnight stops.
What is the best time to visit Munnar with a dog?
September to March. Avoid June to August, because very heavy monsoon.
Do I need to book pet friendly stays in Munnar 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 Thane to Munnar?
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.
Numbers are indicative. They come from a fitted model rather than a drive, and the two ends of any Indian journey are the parts a model handles worst.
Want this as an actual itinerary?
The trip planner turns the route into a day by day plan around your dates, your dog and how you are travelling.
Build the itineraryMore on Munnar: the full destination guide.