Mesmerising Experience – Lake Natron, Tanzania

The moment I saw the pictures of a red-coloured lake and flamingoes frozen in time, I was captivated. And since then was planning a visit to Lake Natron. The articles that I read told a different story of this lake; they called it the ‘deadly lake’ due to the high concentration of alkaline and salt in the water. However, we saw a very different picture of this lake and its pretty pink paradise.

Our journey started from the town of Arusha, Tanzania, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Meru. A wonderful two hours of good road, then the bumpy ride begins from Mto wa Abu village, translated as the mosquito village. A bumpy ride accompanied by an astonishing view of The Great Rift Valley called the Gregory Rift. I experienced heaven on earth in this place and to an extent I am glad that tourism is not very high in this region.

Anyway am getting side-tracked; back to this amazing view of the valley, behind which I was told is the Ngorongoro crater. I was amazed to see huge cracks in the ground. These cracks went all the way from the mountain to its foothills and the surrounding areas. These are made by the shift of this great mountain range and the earthquakes that happen often due to a volcanic mountain nearby. At that moment, the geography lessons that I had given to Year 6 was racing through my mind, as I tried recalling what all I had learnt about this great phenomenon.

We passed one volcanic mountain after another and finally the mountain of our destination Ol Doinyo Lengai was in view. It is called the ‘Mountain of Gods’ by the local Maasai tribe, as it is an active volcanic mountain.
Lengai kept on playing hide and seek with us for another hour till we felt we were close enough. The landscape now changed – from the green grasslands we now encountered lava rocks, which made our journey all the more treacherous. We crossed miles and miles of this dry, arid landscape, the sun bright on our heads. This blinding beauty is tough on the local populace.

People travel far to get to their villages via buses. You can well imagine what might happen if the bus breaks down. We encountered numerous people on the way who were thus held captive in this wild beauty. A word of advice is to carry loads of water and food, not only for yourself but also to help travellers stuck on the way. We ended up donating loads and gave lift to a woman and her two-month-old daughter who were travelling almost 90 kms to their village.

Our guide Jackson, a story-teller kept us entertained on the way with numerous stories. He decided to stop enroute and took us to a place known as the The Devil’s Crater in the local tongue. It’s a massive crater and because of its circular shape, the longer you look at it, the dizzier your head feels – thus the name. Mesmerised by this wonder of nature, we carried on with our journey which was another 2 hours long. Finally after 6 hours of travel from our home we made it to Lake Natron Camp. You will be stuck by the subdued beauty of this eco camp camouflaged in the landscape – amid the tall grasslands, the river bed, Lengai and the Great Rift Valley – believe me you are in for a treat. I can safely say that although I was super hot in this place- this was one of my most memorable trip in Tanzania. For me it was heaven on earth.

Be ready for some royal treatment once you enter this camp, a picture of it still exists in my head. Comfortable lounge furniture in ethnic textures, a bar and few restaurant tables. You are welcomed with a cold towel and cold passion fruit juice which you so need by then. For lunch, the chef served us beef moussaka and I have to say I was impressed. I did not expect such a good meal in the middle of nowhere, in an eco-camp in Africa. Each day the chef served us with food of our choice, something that the place could manage to send in right before we arrived. Oh yeah, heads up, you need to inform prior, as the supplies need to be sent. Ok, moving on, the tent itself is also a small luxury in itself. Beautiful sit out, a bedroom and a washroom area. Since it is an eco-camp, please expect everything to be environmentally sustainable. I was terribly hot by the time and I desperately felt the need to shower. No matter how much water I used, I felt soapy at the end. We had been warned that the water is from the lake so it is going to be salty and soapy, but it takes a while to adjust. They do give you fresh water to gargle your mouth, which by the way is scare in this region.

A small surprise awaited us after our lunch- a beautiful stream flowing near the camp that has been converted into a private swimming area with the whole works. Now imagine putting your feet in this gorgeous stretch of water and feeling ticklish. The surprise was the little Tilapia fish, the residents of this stream for which the pelicans, egrets and the other birds make a visit. So these fish love to eat the skin off your feet. I did give them a taste after much consideration and a lot of wine during the sundowner. But I really really wish I had the heart of a lion to swim there. Logically I knew I could swim, the fish really won’t be biting then, but I chickened out. My three days there, I wasted…I wish I had taken that plunge.

Only one word can describe our evening walk towards the lake – ‘sensational’ as our British friend would call it. You stretch your eyes as far as the horizon and all you see is pink. The evening was mesmerising: the pelicans and flamingoes walking nearby, some of them flying in heavenly formation, the never-ending lake, and the sun-set on the Lengai. As the sun was setting, this beautiful orangish golden yellow spread across the sky, touching The Gregory Rift and the ‘Mountain of Gods,’ the wind rapidly picked its pace and I was almost thrown towards the other direction. I don’t think, I am a good enough writer to express that scenery. It was breathtaking and forever etched in my memory. Wear sturdy shoes that can get wet, as you will be crossing slippery and muddy water banks. I didn’t have any, but my Maasai guide very politely offered his Maasai sandals, while he walked bare feet.

Day two began early morning at 6 a.m. with a walk towards the lake again. This time we were lucky to be relatively closer to these bewitching creatures. My husband was ready with his camera and captured every movement possible. After a Swahili breakfast of chicken trouper and Swahili chapati, it was time for us to go to Engare sera waterfall. You will be stuck by the dry landscape and Maasai women and children trying to make their best in the heat. Amid all the aridness of the land is this alluring waterfall. The contrast of the land hits you, as you go from place to place. You begin to wonder how wondrous is nature and god’s creation.

I was not ready for a trek to the waterfall due to my past experience with the hike to Mt Meru waterfall. I have weak knees, you see! But I decided to forget it and take the 45 mins hike to this waterfall nestled in the crevices of the Gregory Rift Valley. It’s relatively easy at places but treacherous as well, as you wade your way through gushing water and rocks protruding out of the hills. I was wonder stuck as we reached the source of the Engare sera waterfall. But there was a surprise. The source of the waterfall itself was hidden by this massive fall blocked by a log. I am not a water person, so holding on tight to my husband we waded our way through the strong currents, climbed the log and went to the source. The source is nestled by something like an open cave. It’s beautiful and we did not have a camera to capture that beauty. Once again am at loss for words to describe this place. I can still visualise it, as I write this blog. We returned after a similar hike back for 45 mins.

There is one thing in particular I immensely enjoyed in this place; the fact that I could walk among the wild. My days spent in Serengeti National park I have always wanted to stroke a giraffe, as they come closer to inspect the vehicles. Today, I got that chance, but the giraffes weren’t particularly interested in letting me pet them.:) I walked around for a bit trying to get closer to them, but they walked away from me. Finally I gave up. There are no predators in this particular part of the jungle that is why you can actually walk around the zebras, wildebeests, the giraffes and the birds. The only thing you need to be careful of walking in the night are snakes and scorpions and the lizards are there of course to keep you company during the day as well. Don’t worry they aren’t poisonous.

Day two was not over yet. The chef treated us to some wonderful Tanzanian cuisine again for lunch – ugali, kuku mchicha and marage ( green leafy vegetables, chicken and kidney beans.) After a brief nap, we headed to our evening destination – the footprints. These footprints discovered a couple of years back on the lava rocks are 120 thousand years old. Believed to be from the Maasai tribe who must have wandered there with the cattle. The footprints are in various sizes and shapes – man, woman, children and even cows. The place is a geological treat. If you can climb up the Lengai, then the better it is. A 6 hrs climb up in the night, you get to see the bubbling crater at sunrise. The ‘Mountains of Gods’ erupted in 2007 and sent people scurrying. You can see the signs, while driving over the dried magma and the broken roads. The evening wasn’t over yet, our Maasai guide had planned a wonderful treat for us. Our sundowner today was much closer to the lake with pelicans for company. We were the only people in that area. I was overwhelmed with this feeling of luxury – sharing a bottle of Rose with my hubby in the lap of nature watching the sunset over these great mountains. Our last night in the place, we celebrated my hubby’s birthday in advance in Maasai style.

Our last day
The trip is not over till you pay homage one last time to the beautiful creatures nestled in Lake Natron. As we went to say our good byes to the place, a herd of zebras watched us preparing to leave. Not just one but two rainbows, one above the other came to say goodbye. The vast expanse of sky seemed to call me. I was quite upset to be leaving that beauty. I am from Delhi and a clear sky with rainbow is pure luxury for me.
The ‘Mountain of Gods’ kept us company for a long time on the way back, it seemed to emerge on every side and I think we did take one complete round of the mountain. It seems that you are not really going anywhere. This time we tried a different route while going back. One left turn towards Longido after 2 hours over the volcanic rocks and we finally bid goodbye to Lengai. The ride back home was another 4 hours. Closer home we were welcomed by Mt. Meru and thus ended a beautiful two day adventure. An adventure I will cherish over the years. My only disappointment – I did not get to see the red colour of the lake.

Photo courtesy: My dear hubby Chef Gaurav Chakraborty

P.S. Visited in January 2019. The red colour of the lake is washed away during rains.
Also Lake Natron stretches all the way to Kenya.