LAKES OF TANZANIA :
LAKE VICTORIA:
The second largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Victoria dominates the area with its 70,000 km2 surface.
The area is ideal for birdwatching as the lake attracts a variety of large water birds. The area is very pretty and as the lake virtually borders the western Serengeti.
You might find that lodges in the Serengeti National Park that offer day trips or fishing expeditions to Lake Victoria but it has never really featured on the Tanzanian or Kenyan tourism circuit. The Rubondo Island National Park - located in the southern portion of the lake - is the only major highlight of a visit to this area.
LAKE EYASI
Lake Eyasi, located south of the Serengeti National Park and immediately southwest of the Ngorongoro Crater in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania, is one of several lakes on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. The southwest flank of Ngorongoro Volcano drains into the northeast end of the lake. Tthe lake is generally rectangular, except the indented southeast side, which appears to be shallower because sediment has filled in the shore. Most of the former shoreline can be identified by the colour change around the fairly steep embanked perimeter of the lake. Seasonal water level fluctuations in the lake are dramatic, perhaps indicating that Lake Eyasi is relatively shallow even during periods of maximum water levels.
LAKE NATRON
On the border between Tanzania and Kenya lays Lake Natron in the middle of a volcanic moonscape in the Rift Valley. The special colours of Lake Natron are due to the blue algae that thrive in the salty water of this lake. Walking to the lake and the streams and waterfalls on the nearby steep slope deliver a unique experience. In the north of the lake mirage delusion may occur.
In the dry season much water evaporates from the lake and the remaining water salts. In this environment thrive micro-organisms such as blue algae. The pigment in the plasma cell layers of their cause deep red colour in the deeper parts, and the orange in the shallower parts of the lake. |
