Volcanic Lake

Lake Chala is an ancient volcanic caldera lake located right on the border between Tanzania and Kenya, holding a maximum water depth of 95 meters. The lake is filled and drained by underground watercourses fed by water flowing off Kilimanjaro. It is estimated to have originated from the initial volcanic explosion approximately 250,000 years ago. The region is covered by abundant vegetation and steep crater walls that provide refuge for a variety of bird species (such as nesting Peregrine falcons atop Chala’s cliffs) as well as blue monkeys, Colobus monkeys, baboons, monitor lizards, dik-dik, bushbuck, and kudu.