Lake Bogoria

North of Nakuru and South of Lake Baringo off the B4 Highway you will find Lake Bogoria. Lake Bogoria has an area of 30 sq km with a maximum depth of 9m. The lake is remarkable in many ways; it is a long and narrow soda lake dominated by the sheer face of the Siracho escarpment and the notheastern parts of the Aberdares on the eastern shore.

On the western shore there are hot springs and geysers with boiling water that vapors into the air, enshrouds the very place in mystical steam. Despite Lake Nakuru being famous for its tens of thousands of flamingos they dont breed in Nakuru but Lake Bogoria is an important nesting ground for the flamingos and in the shallow lake there a thousands of nests made out of mud. In 2000 it was listed as a Ramsar protected wetland and the lake has a status of National Reserve.

Not far from the shore of Lake Bogoria there are hot springs and geysers as a result of the volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley. There are other wildlife than the flamingos to see at Lake Bogoria; Leopard, greater Kudu, Klipspringers and Caracal. You can walk or cycle unaccompanied in the Reserve as far as the springs, but if you want to venture beyond this point, you need permission from the warden who can supply you with an armed ranger for protection. The Kesubo Swamp just North of the lake is a heaven for bird-watchers and the swamp holds the Kenyan record for the largest number of species seen in one hour (96 species of birds).

There are two entrance gates to Lake Bogoria – Emsos in the South and Loboi in the northern part of the National Reserve. There are three places to stay at Bogoria; Fig Tree Camp, Payrus Inn and Lake Bogoria Hotel.

In the picture to the left side, a Goliath Heron is overlooking the Kesubo swamp just north of Lake Bogoria