The Mysteries of Lake Natron, Some parts of the world don’t look like they belong to our world. They show places that look so strange that you’d think they’re on Mars… or maybe Jupiter, with its strange colors and atmosphere.

Welcome to Lake Natron in northern Tanzania, a scary, hot, and smelly mess. Most animals, fish, and birds stay away from this area because the water is so salty and hot.

Animals that get into this lake’s septic stew will not survive more than a few minutes because the water is so poisonous.

But this very spot is a great place for many of the world’s smaller flamingos to live and breed. Millions of bright pink flamingos breed and grow on the salt flats that dot the lake’s shallows. This is hell for the rest of the world’s wildlife. It’s their idea of heaven.

How can species live and do well in Lake Natron?

As was already said, the lake’s brine is very poisonous and very alkaline, almost the same as ammonia. Up to 600 C (1400 F) of heat can be felt there. That’s where the secret is.

The highly alkaline nature of the lake is like a superfood for the special bacteria that do well there. As all plants do, they make photosynthesis, but here they make a red color.

The lake’s strange red and orange colors come from this strange coloring. One of these bacteria is called Spirulina. You may have heard of it because it is added to food.

The lesser flamingo also likes spirulina and eats it every day. They eat so much of this red microorganism that it ends up in their feathers, giving them the pretty pink color that is their trademark.

The birds can get so many nutrients from Lake Natron that up to 75% of all the lesser flamingos in the world live in this dangerous place. The birds can nest and eat on the small salt islands or “rafts” that are spread out around the lake because the area is otherwise very empty. This keeps them safe from natural enemies.

But because they depend on the lake, the flamingos are still considered a “threatened” species, even though there are so many of them in this one place.

More Strange Tales from Lake Natron

Some strange things happen in the lake because it is otherwise deadly. Other birds have not been as lucky as the flamingos that live here. A bird or small animal has sometimes flown or stumbled into the chemical soup in the lake and been badly hurt.

The mixture of Natron’s saltiness and its high temperatures usually kills people who aren’t prepared for it. The animal or bird that did something wrong dies quickly, and sometimes, when the lake shrinks during the dry season, the body parts are found that look like they have turned to stone.

In Lake Natron, Tanzania, you can experience our Africa.

Your northern Tanzania tour should stop so you can enjoy the raw, colorful beauty of Lake Natron and the millions of pink flamingos that live there. Safari Trips to Kenya shows off our special and one-of-a-kind Africa, where you can discover some of its strange and secret gems.