Lonar Crater Trek
Buldhana, Maharashtra
Opens without signal on this phone, with the map file and checklist. Saved for offline →
- Max altitude
- 600 m
- Days
- 1 day
- Distance
- 6 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
A half-day walk of about 6 km, but it drops roughly 120 m from the rim to the lake shore and climbs back out on steep, uneven steps and paths that turn slippery in rain; parts of the shore trail fade into dense scrub.
Photos
On the trail
The route
Day by day
Day 1 · highest point
MTDC Lonar → MTDC Lonar (via the lake shore, Kamalja Devi and Gomukh temples)
600 m → 600 m
Ups and downs
Altitude profile
Where it is
Map
Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.
Weather
Next 5 days on the trail
Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.
Trailhead · MTDC Lonar
at 600 mLoading forecast…
High point · Crater rim near MTDC Lonar
at 600 mLoading forecast…
Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h
Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.
Plan the trip
How to reach
- Trailhead
- MTDC Lonar
- Nearest railway
- Jalna (about 90 km)
- Nearest airport
- Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) Airport, about 140 km
- By road
- Jalna (about 90 km; MSRTC buses and taxis); Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), about 140 km; Mehekar (about 12 km), the nearest alternative town for stays
- Drive
- About 3 h from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Plan the trip
Permits and fees
We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.
Plan the trip
Cost
Self-guided
₹300–1,500
With an operator
₹4,500–5,500
Per person, ex-Jalna for the guided tour, ex-Lonar for self-guided. Guided: Mischief Treks lists ₹4,500 per person (Mumbai batches on request; Jalna pickup, dormitory stay, meals, local transport and entry fees; train tickets extra; ₹1,000 more for a twin-sharing AC room). We found only one operator's published price. Self-guided is an estimate for the walk day only: forest entry at the gate, a local guide if you hire one, and food and water; stays in Lonar are extra.
Gear
Top picks for this trek
The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.
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Packing checklist
Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.
Packed 0 of 19
Hot days in Mar: start at first light and carry extra water and ORS.
Tick each item as it goes in the bag.
Know before you go
Good to know
- Mobile network
- Lonar is a municipal town with mobile coverage; expect weaker signal down on the crater floor (not confirmed by a source).
- Last ATM
- Lonar town
- Nearest hospital
- Basic medical care in Lonar town; for serious cases Jalna or Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (check locally)
- Water
- None you can use on the walk. The lake is saline and strongly alkaline (pH about 9-10.5) and is not drinkable; the Gomukh stream is a sacred tirtha for bathing. Carry all your water from Lonar.
Highlights
- Walking down into a meteorite-impact crater about 1.8 km across and 150 m deep, cut into Deccan basalt; a National Geological Monument and a Ramsar site
- The green saline-alkaline lake at the crater floor, inside Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary, with langurs, peafowl and about 160 recorded bird species
- Old Chalukya- and Hemadpanti-style temples along the shore and rim, including Kamalja Devi (a form of Mata Lakshmi) and Gomukh, where a perennial stream flows from a stone cow's mouth
- In Lonar town, the Daitya Sudan temple of Bhagwan Vishnu, whose katha of slaying the asura Lonasura gives Lonar its name
Risks
- The descent to the lake and the climb back are steep, on uneven steps and paths; they become slippery in the monsoon, when leeches can also appear.
- April to June is very hot on the open rim; start early and carry plenty of water.
- Indiahikes notes the shore trail fades in a few dense-forest sections; keep the lake in sight or hire a local guide.
- The lake water is strongly alkaline and smells in places; do not drink it, and stay off the soft mud flats on the north-east side.
- Gomukh temple can be crowded with devotees; dress and behave as at any temple.
Know before you go
Questions
Can you walk down to Lonar Lake?
Yes. Trails lead from the rim down to the lake shore; Maharashtra Tourism describes the trek down as steep and possibly slippery, so wear good shoes and carry water for the climb back. The crater is part of Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary, so follow forest staff instructions at the gate.
How long is the Lonar Crater walk?
Indiahikes describes a loop of about 6 km around the lake, starting and ending at the MTDC resort, with a final kilometre on the road. Mischief Treks runs it as a guided walk of 4-5 hours with stops at several temples.
What is the best time to visit Lonar Crater?
October to March, when it is cool enough to walk the rim and the crater floor (Maharashtra Tourism and Outlook Traveller). June to September is green but the trails get slippery; April to June is very hot.
Is there an entry fee or permit for Lonar Crater?
The crater lies inside Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary, and operators include entry fees in their packages. We could not find a current official fee from the Maharashtra Forest Department, so check at the sanctuary gate or forest office in Lonar.
How do I reach Lonar?
The nearest railway station is Jalna, about 90 km away, and the nearest airport is Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), about 140 km away. MSRTC buses and taxis run from both; the drive takes about 2-3 hours.
Which temples can I see on the walk?
On the loop you pass old temples on the shore and the rim, including Kamalja Devi and Gomukh, where pilgrims bathe in a stream that flows from a stone cow's mouth. The Daitya Sudan temple of Bhagwan Vishnu is in Lonar town and is easy to add after the walk.
In an emergency
Save these numbers before you lose signal. Tap to call.
- 112All emergenciesIndia’s single emergency number — works in every state
- 108Ambulance
- 1077District disaster control room
You are in
District: BuldhanaMaharashtra
- Nearest hospital
- Basic medical care in Lonar town; for serious cases Jalna or Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (check locally)
- Last ATM
- Lonar town
- Phone network
- Lonar is a municipal town with mobile coverage; expect weaker signal down on the crater floor (not confirmed by a source).
Before you set off
- Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
- Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
- Download an offline map of the route.
- Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
Questions about Lonar Crater
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Where this comes from
Sources
Last reviewed:
- Lonar Crater - Department of Tourism Maharashtra — Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra (official)
- Lonar Crater Lake Trek - An unexplored cosmic marvel in Maharashtra — Indiahikes
- Lonar Crater: Trek, Temples And Tales Of A Cosmic Impact — Outlook Traveller
- Lonar Crater Lake Tour | Mischief Treks — Mischief Treks
- Lonar Lake — Wikipedia
Photos: Vivek Ganesan, CC BY-SA 4.0; Dhruva Punde, CC BY-SA 4.0; Rohit Sharma, CC BY-SA 4.0
