![]() ![]() New research has now confirmed these track-ways to be 120,000-years-old, making them the oldest Homo sapiens track-ways yet discovered. Walk to hominid footprints within the concession area. The beguiling lesser flamingo feed on algae found in soda lakes across eastern Africa but choose to breed almost exclusively at Lake Natron. Guests can take early morning or sunset walks to the lake flats. Here are the top activities to do with your stay at Lake Natron CampĬool off in any one of the natural plunge pools in front of the accommodation units or dining/ bar area. There is also larger pool suitable for swimming further down stream as well as endemic cyclids – bring some goggles or ask our team for a pair! Volcanism around the Great Rift Valley produces soda (Sodium Carbonate), which is washed down by rain and ground water. Oldoinyo Lengai (Mountain of God) is the only active volcano in Tanzania. Volcanoes and craters of different ages are scattered around the valley. The prominent escarpment in this area lies to the west. The valley is created by two tectonic plates moving apart causing the valley floor to drop down leaving intact and fragmented valley walls or escarpments. The Great Rift Valley stretches from northern Ethiopia to Mozambique in the south, a distance of about 5600km. ![]() The lake is also surrounded by scattered springs, some of which are fresh enough to provide drinking water for many species of animals, large and small. ![]() The combination of remoteness and the hostility of the soda mud-flats provides the flamingos with a relatively safe area to breed and rear chicks. Algae and zooplankton thrive in this water, which in turn supports great numbers of flamingos. Here the water evaporates leaving behind very high concentrations of soda. ![]() Lake Natron sits at the lowest point of the valley in East Africa at an altitude of 600m or 2000feet above sea level. As isolated as the lake is (it wasn't even discovered by Europeans until 1954), there are no protections in place for the lake or its threatened flamingo population.įollow Marc Lallanilla on Twitter and Google+. The serenity of Lake Natron - and its flamingo population - are threatened by a proposed hydroelectric power plant on the Ewaso Ngiro River, the main river feeding the lake. As shallow lakes in a hot climate, their water temperatures can reach as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). Both are terminal lakes that do not drain out to any river or sea they are fed by hot springs and small rivers. Lake Natron is one of two alkaline lakes in that area of East Africa the other is Lake Bahi. The flamingos' nests are built on small islands that form in the lake during the dry season. During breeding season, more than 2 million lesser flamingos ( Phoenicopterus minor) use the shallow lake as their primary breeding ground in Africa. ![]()
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