Lonar is one of those places that sounds made up. A meteor — half a kilometre wide, travelling at 90,000 km per hour — slammed into the Deccan Plateau roughly 52,000 years ago. The crater it left is now a lake, ringed by 12th-century Hindu temples, with water that is alkaline on top and saline at the bottom.

Why It Matters

Lonar is one of only four known meteor craters in the world that hit basaltic rock, and the only one in India. It has the same chemistry as some of the lunar samples NASA brought back from Apollo missions, which is why ISRO and the Geological Survey have been studying it for decades.

The Drive

Lonar is 270 km from Nagpur — about five hours each way on the NH-53 / NH-548E. Best done as an overnight: stay at the MTDC resort or the Yatridham, walk the rim at sunset, descend to the lake at dawn.

What to See

  • The rim walk (about 8 km, 2.5 hours)
  • Daitya Sudan Temple — 12th-century, intricately carved, on the rim
  • Gomukh Temple — at the lake edge, where a continuous stream of fresh water flows into the alkaline lake
  • Kamalja Devi Temple — set within a grove of trees

Practical Notes

Carry your own water. The descent into the crater is steep and slippery in the monsoon — wear proper shoes. Photography is permitted but commercial filming requires a permit.

For guests staying with us, we'll arrange the driver, route map, and lunch packed for the road. Just ask the concierge.