Bloody lake in Africa with dried salt skeletons of animals. Dead Lake Natron, Tanzania
March 16th, 2012 01:10 am
We recovered to Lake Natron at the very beginning of our great East African journey.
Cars were taken in Arusha and we were on our way! True, instead of the three Toyota Hilux that we were promised, we received two Prado Land Cruisers in good condition, and on the machine, and one old broken-down Land Cruiser on the handle, which fell apart on the go and gave us many unforgettable adventures))
We were just happy to the pig squeal when our cars were brought! And it was like that. The rental car company was chosen in Moscow (via the Internet) on the principle of "the cheapest" of those who were ready to give us a car in Tanzania and pick it up in Kenya. On the evening before the departure to Natron, the cars were supposed to be driven to our hotel by 18:00. But neither at 18, nor at 19, nor at 20 there were no cars. We started trying to get through to our company (4x4 Kenya). There was a problem - how to call a Kenyan number from Tanzania.
The girls at the hotel reception kindly even gave us their mobile phones and tried to get through, but in vain. Either the number was wrong or they didn't know the code for Kenya... "Eureka!" one of them suddenly says. "A Kenyan businessman has stopped in our room 210! He will help us!"
We leave with a delegation of 6 people led by a Tanzanian from the reception to the 210th room. Knock Knock. A chubby Kenyan opens the door, his eyes widening, "Jambo!" The entrepreneur gladly agrees to help us. We give him a piece of paper with details. He takes it, looks at it, shakes his head. Rooms without area code. "Very suspicious, I'm afraid you've been scammed. There are a lot of deceitful people in Kenya. They may have a nice website, but after they get the money... How much did you pay them?" We transferred 20% to them. I immediately remember that before the trip they offered to transfer the full payment ... But still I can’t believe it. So many letters of correspondence, a story about some incident in Ngorongoro, where our Hi Suites broke down and we were promised Land Rovers in return.
Finally, the Kenyan, after all the same, correctly substituting the country code, dials one of the phones. We listen carefully to the conversation.
"Is this pho bai pho Kenya? I want to order a 4x4 car from you." Interesting:)
"Is that all you have? My friends, this is not a 4x4 car"
"My friends are waiting for your cars at the hotel in Arusha." Pee-pee-pee - hung up.
Kenya smiles broadly, revealing his snow-white teeth: "My friends, you were scammed! This is some kind of crap, not a 4x4 company."
His smile is so wide and sympathetic to our grief that it's hard not to believe it. Thank him. He escorts us, sighs heavily after ...
Let's go search the Internet to go to the site 4x4 Kenya. After a long search, we find an Internet cafe that is already closing. We persuade the hostess to check the mail for 5 minutes. We record phones from the site 4x4 Kenya. The first phone is different from the phone on our printed confirmation. Everything is the same, but one is missing the last digit. Exactly, some kind of trick.
As a result, we arrange a meeting in the morning with the local Car Hire and fall asleep ...
The night was mysterious and enigmatic... Kirill had a dream... There was a knock on the door. On the threshold is the same girl from the reception. "Good night," she says (in Russian!!!). The representative of 4x4 arrived. He went to bed - in the morning at 09:00 he will be waiting for you at the reception. What about Machines? I didn't see any cars.
Then Kirill realizes that he is sitting on the bed and sleeping. And he didn’t even get up anywhere .... Bryaks falls asleep further.
In the morning, it turns out that the dude from the 4x4 really arrived, was sleeping, and at 09:00 he would be waiting for us. Awesome! Our cars will soon arrive. Hakuna Matata!!! Yesterday at 18:00 they just slowly left Nairobi to us.
We draw up documents, bargain about the deposit (for good reason - one was never returned to us on the card), we pack things into cars (it turned out to be difficult - especially because of the huge chairs that we were given) and hit the road!
200 km on a good asphalt road, we flew quickly. It remains 100-150 km along the dirt road directly to the campsite near the lake. They were overcome for a long time, and not so much because of bad road, how many stops for the first pictures of real non-tourist Africa!
At first we could not pass by the noble baobab.
Then they could not help but arrange a photo session for local residents who collected firewood.
Interestingly, each had a key hanging around their neck :)
Got stuck a little.
Met our first little animals on this African trip! And not anywhere in the park, but the wild nature itself! Just like a dirt road!
Donkey first))
Then a giraffe somewhere far, far away
Ahh! Zebras! Chased after them! Did not catch up))
Several Thompson's Gazelles, which we habitually mistook from Namibia for Springboks.
And, finally, the Giraffe is very, very close!))
But it was already getting dark and we had to hurry. We still need to find our campsite, the location of which we had little idea, and for the first time set up the tents that were included in the full camping equipment for cars.
It got dark. After passing several gates, at each of which money was collected from us (it is not clear why - this place is not a national park), according to the signs and advice of the locals, we finally found our campsite! We were given a site for tents and even helped to set them up.
In the morning we went straight to the lake! Fortunately, it shone with a wide blue spot on our GPS-navigators. At first we drove along the road around the lake, but the road suddenly began to go somewhere to the side. We returned, turned at random on one of the turns. Our column of three jeeps passed (through the impassability - there were no roads anymore) the local village, drove along the bed of a dried up river. According to the maps, we drive up to Natron. Lake? Where is the promised red alkali? Empty. Let's go further. Looks like that part is dry. The surface is flat. The perfect place to race and set speed records!
Petrol PRADO easily wins the race. He is already at the finish line, when the diesel PRADO and the old Kruzak are just accelerating. Kruzak something really bad. Refused 4x4 mode. The soil becomes wetter, the wheels get stuck. Skidding.
4x4 mode was reproduced only in this way:
During the rainy season, of course, everything is under water. But right now, the water on the horizon seems to be very close!
We throw the Kruzak, push ourselves into 2 PRADO and go to the water! We have to get to her! Where are the flamingos anyway?! Not a season? Let's go, let's go. It becomes dumb that we will get stuck on all-wheel drive PRADO. We stop. Looking back...
The abandoned Cruiser stands in the water. Damn it! It's all a mirage! No water, no flamingos, no life!
We turn around, we go back. It was not possible to defeat Natron from a swoop. Time is short - climb Ol Donio Lengai at night! It is necessary to look for a climbing guide in the village. At the same time, maybe he will still have time to find flamingos for us today!
It becomes very difficult for the Kruzak to go back. Gets stuck at every step.
Not a soul met
but as soon as they withered - out of nowhere Maasai helpers!
Time passed, the car could not be pulled out. It turned out that we did not have a single cable, and the jacks were broken ...
We drove one of the cars to the camp in search of a cable. But while we were driving, the guys guessed to remove the branch cutters from the car and use them as a cable! Hooray, got it out!
On the way to the camp, they found water! True, without flamingos ... But clearly alkaline.
Then the Maasai appeared! Where do they come from!
They dropped the mother with the child and the grandmother to the village. 7 people in the car - Fun and teeeesnoo on the Prado!))
Finally, we returned to the campsite. left most groups to rest and went to the village to look for a guide to climb Ol Donyo Lengai. The night promised not to be easy. The guide was found noble. named Bura. Solid man 56 years old. As he told us later, for 20 years he has been leading tourists to the peak of the Volcano. Before that, shepherd sheep. Well, in general, similar professions, we half thought))
There was still time until the evening and Bura kindly agreed to find us flamingos! Yuhhu! It turned out that in the morning we went to a completely different part of the lake.
We took everyone from the camp and after half an hour of driving we were on ... the lake. Of course, this is also not Tanganyika or Baikal, but still there was a little more water than we found during the day.
And it certainly was not a mirage!
And Flamingos! There were flamingos too!
We admired the flocks of flamingos flying from place to place (which we kindly asked them to do))) against the backdrop of the setting sun. And above us, above all this virgin African nature, the majestic Ol Donyo Lengai volcano towered, which most recently (in 2007) erupted powerfully, throwing out powerful lava flows from its crater.
It hung over us so menacingly and powerfully that it was absolutely unbelievable that during the night (start at 00:00, elevation difference 1700m, Crater at an altitude of 2900m) we would climb it and meet dawn on the edge of the crater. At that moment, we could not even imagine how difficult it would be. Looking ahead, I will say that we did it! Only 5 people out of 11 who started! But they did! But more on that in the next post. Very soon))
Lake Natron, located in the north of Tanzania, is one of mysterious places on our planet. Interest in him arose in connection with the publication of the illustrated edition "Across the Ravaged Land" ("Across the ravaged land"). Its author is the famous photographer Nick Brandt, who is well acquainted with African nature. He claims that sinister lake has the ability to turn bats and birds that fly here into stone.
The mysterious lake in Tanzania attracted the attention of the photographer not by chance: Nick Brandt specializes in black and white photography of wild African animals. Visiting Natron, the photographer was struck by the abundance of bird skeletons that can be found in the coastal strip, so it became necessary to find an explanation for this phenomenon.
The main feature of the lake is the high temperature of the water, in the swampy part it can reach 60 C. In addition, a high level of salt content is recorded in the water, the alkalinity can reach a pH of 9 to 10.5. These factors contribute to the "mummification" of animals that fall into this aggressive environment. In fact, the birds gradually turn into limestone.
Nick Brandt was able to find several surviving "statues" of birds. He set them in natural poses against the background of the water, because in the pictures they look like they are alive. In the photographs you can see a small flamingo, a dove and an eagle. By the way, Lake Natron is unique in that it is the only place where small flamingos breed (although, as we can see, some birds die right there).
There is no exact explanation for the cause of the death of birds. Scientists believe that they can be disoriented due to the powerful reflectivity of the lake's surface. Like birds breaking on transparent glass, African flyers crash into the surface of the lake.
I want to continue the topic about the unusual reservoirs of the planet. Today I want to tell you about Lake Natron, which is located in the north of Tanzania, near the border with Kenya.
I have already said that there are on Earth, the water in which has a pink and even blood-red hue. All these wonders of nature are in different corners peace. The color of the water is due to various factors: in some reservoirs, special bacteria or algae live, in others, minerals dissolved in the water are the reason for the unusual color.
Lake Natron is unique in its own way. Firstly, it is one of the most alkaline water bodies on Earth, the pH of the water reaches 10.5.
Also, the uniqueness of this lake is also in the fact that the water in it, in addition to being very salty, its temperature reaches 50-60 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, there are very few organisms that could survive here. But they are! You might think that I'm about to start talking about some algae and incredible bacteria? And here and there There are two types of alkaline telapia found in Lake Natron! These two species are endemic and can only be found here. Of course, where else to find such living conditions!
Also on the lake, a very rare species of small flamingos breed and hatch chicks. This lake is practically the only place where they breed. They build their nests on islands of salt, which are formed by the strong evaporation of water.
The lake has another property. Due to the fact that the water in the lake is hot, animals or birds that accidentally fall into the water die, and the salt turns them into stone statues. Terrifying view!
By the way, I have not yet told why the water in the lake is red. Halophilic cyanobacteria live in it, which are capable of photosynthesis like plants. But as a result of photosynthesis, they release a red pigment. He is the reason for the red color of the water. By the way, Lake Natron is not always red, but only when the salinity reaches very high levels (due to evaporation of water in the dry season), then these bacteria begin to multiply actively.
In Tanzania, which is located in the eastern part of Africa, people usually go to see unusual animals and snow-capped peak Kilimanjaro, visit a safari and get acquainted with the life of local tribes. But often the obligatory point of such a trip is Lake Natron, located in the northern part of Tanzania, on the border with neighboring Kenya.
The lake is amazing at first sight. The water here is very salty, during evaporation it is completely covered with a crust of salt, which periodically turns into all shades of red and pink. This happens due to the vital activity of microorganisms living in the lake. Only in the smallest places the water is orange, the rest of the space surprises with a variety of shades of red.
Swimming in Lake Natron, whose name is translated simply as “red”, will not work. The water temperature here can reach plus 50 degrees Celsius, and the alkalinity level varies from 9 to 10.5 pH (almost like ammonia), so that birds, bats and lizards, accidentally getting here, immediately die. By the way, their bodies, thanks to the unique microclimate and salt, are perfectly preserved and look very frightening. Photographer Nick Brandt capitalized on this by creating a series of photos that look like scenes from a horror movie.
Visit Lake Natron, which is part of protected area an area of 700 square kilometers, it is worth seeing the millionth colony of small flamingos that breed only here, nesting dangerously close to the hot salty water of the lake, right on the piles of salt that surround its shores.
Camp in Tanzania – VIDEO
Graceful pink birds against the backdrop of red water and salty shores are an incredibly beautiful sight, believe me! There are also two species of unique fish in the lake - alkaline telapia, which are not afraid of either the temperature of the water or its high pH level. The lake is very shallow - no more than three meters, and coastline varies significantly with the season.
MAP
Lake Natron - PHOTO
On the border with the Republic of Kenya, in Northern Tanzania lies Lake Natron. This is a unique reservoir, because only here travelers can enjoy an indescribable sight - 2,000,000 purple small flamingos. But high alkalinity and water temperature is detrimental to many animals. Their remains harden and become covered with mineral substances.
Lake Natron in Tanzania: characteristics
The depth of Lake Natron is quite small, because in some places it does not even reach 3 meters. The area, on the contrary, is rather big - 1344 km2. Since the air temperature in this area often crosses the 50 ° C mark, the water in Natron also warms up to similar values.
Natron is an integral part of today's most active volcanic system, the African Great Rift. Obvious manifestations of seismic activity relatively recently showed the nearby volcano Oldonyo Lengai. So, he erupted in October 2008, and a couple of years later woke up again.
Flamingo Lake is unique creation nature to be passed on to the next generation. To do this, its pool was brought under protection, enrolling in places of international importance.
red lake
The name of the lake is translated as "red". Most likely, local tribes from time immemorial called Natron that way because of a large number salt, which creates a kind of film on the surface of the water. Under these conditions, cyanobacteria actively behave, the pigments of which, as a result of photosynthesis, change towards a red tint. In shallow water, they are not so active, and therefore an orange color can be traced at shallow depths.
Natron is one of the few breeding grounds for lesser flamingos.
Let's return to the inhabitants of the lake - small flamingos, which usually live in places remote from people. If you decide to come here because of them, then it is best to go on a trip in the summer: during this period, the breeding of birds begins, and therefore everything around becomes pink from their number.
Dead Lake Natron
Nevertheless, the high alkalinity and temperature of Lake Natron create such conditions that many animals, mostly birds, accidentally fall into the water, die and their remains harden and become covered with mineral substances. Only a few species of animals can live here. And small flamingos are thus even protected from predators.
Of course, swimming and even rinsing your hands in the lake is not worth it. Any contact with water threatens with burns and swelling of the skin.
Salei pastures
The owners of Lake Natron can be called the Salei tribe, belonging to the Masai clan. These people spend their whole lives searching for the best pasture around the shores of the lake. The Masai are a warlike people, because they have long been accustomed to defending their territory. Fortunately for tourists, now the inhabitants of Northern Tanzania are much more liberal towards visitors.
Interestingly, a group of scientists found the remains of Homo Sapiens, which are more than 30,000 years old, in the vicinity of Lake Natron.
How to get there
The most convenient way to get to the lake is from the nearest city of Arusha, located 240 kilometers away.
Arusha can be reached by bus from Nairobi (4 hours), Dodoma (6 hours) and Dar es Salaam (9 hours). Also 50 km from Arusha is located international Airport Kilimanjaro.
There are no organized excursions to Lake Natron, but its visit is included in tours to the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano. One of better ways get to the lake - rent an SUV and hire a guide in Arusha, but an individual program will be about a third more expensive standard tour. But for sure - you should not go to Natron without an escort from the locals.
Where to settle
Before you go on a trip, reserve a hotel room. Check out a 5 star hotel Exploreans Ngorongoro Lodge, which offers Better conditions on the background wildlife Africa.
