Ancient Creation, Mystical, Magnificent - Lonar Crater Lake - This gem is located in the Buldhana District of Maharashtrad near Aurangabad, a long but pleasant drive. It is believed to be created 50,000 years ago by a swift meteorite and when you get down to shore of the lake, you can decide in which direction that meteorite came :). What was most astonishing about this lake was how "round" it was and its emerald green coloured water. Very peaceful and calming. There were some ancient temple ruins around the lake. Now even after all these years, it is 'still' of great interest and mystery to scientists, NASA, archeologists, geologists etc. and folks like you and me. Lonar Lake is now tagged by UNESCO as geo-heritage site. A truly magnificent site, if you do get a chance to visit, do it. Getting there might be easy, getting down to the lake can be tricky. First, get a “good” guide. You’ll need one. The tour company I used was TravelGreed Tourism (Hrushikesh Palodkar) and got a great guide, Shailesh Sadar, whom I met at the MTDC Resort, Lonar. He was excellent. Knowledgeable, patient, good people skills and had a great sense of humour. Made the day very pleasant and easy to tackle even while climbing and learning about this incredible place. The trek downhill to the lake from the crater’s rim is about 400-440ft in height. It is rocky with loose rocks (slippery) and some parts, steep. I used a trekking stick and shoes. It is wise to take at least 2+ bottles of water because as you go further down, it becomes hotter and humid. I find coming back up was a bit challenging but made stops at the temples or on a rock and rested and lucky for me, the weather was a bit cool. Winter time is best to go – November. I made it to the lake’s edge and detected a hint of a funny smell (think it was sulphur). I didn’t see many birds or animals even though I read Lonar Lake was now part of Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary. Hope you have better luck. Nice forest and fauna, Shailesh provided some info on some trees. *Kind Advice: Do not leave any litter on the crater sides while trekking down or up or on the lake’s shore*. Shailesh and Hrushikesh were both wonderful company and educators during this day tour. I gratefully thank them both – they made my day easy and enjoyable, even at times when I was out of breath (LOL). My HIGHLIGHT: Sitting on the bench outside the MTDC Resort recuperating with a cool lime soda drink after having completed that total trek, down to the lake and back. Oh what a day! It was fabulous.