Lake Natron

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Lake Natron is a mineral-rich soda lake in northern Tanzania, at the border with Kenya. It’s a breeding ground for hundreds of thousands of lesser flamingos, despite the highly alkaline state of the striking red waters. It sits below Ol Doinyo Lengai, a soaring active volcano in the Rift Valley. Trails lead from the lake to the Engero Sero waterfalls, which flow over craggy rocks into a natural pool.

East Africa has 1.5-2.5 million Lesser Flamingos, representing three-quarters of the world population and most of them are hatched at Lake Natron.  Food is plentiful, nesting sites abound – and above all, the lake is isolated and undisturbed.  The lake and its ecosystem provides a source of livelihoods to the local communities.

High levels of evaporation have left behind natron (sodium carbonate decahydrate) and trona (sodium sesquicarbonate dihydrate). The alkalinity of the lake can reach a pH of greater than 12. The surrounding bedrock is composed of alkaline, sodium-dominated trachyte lavas that were laid down during the Pleistocene period. The lavas have significant amounts of carbonate but very low calcium and magnesium levels. This has allowed the lake to concentrate into a caustic alkaline brine

Walks around the lake and to the streams and waterfalls along the nearby escarpment make for a fantastic adventure off the beaten track.

There are a number of campgrounds near the lake, which is also the base for climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai.