Thirty-four square kilometres
of soda water and steam.
Lake Bogoria is a shallow alkaline lake of about thirty-four square kilometres in Baringo County, pinned between the Rift Valley floor and the Siracho escarpment. It is one of the few places in Kenya with genuinely active geothermal features: geysers and boiling springs vent along the western shore, some of them throwing water several metres into the air. The alkalinity grows the blue-green algae that lesser flamingos feed on, and when conditions are right the flocks here are among the largest gatherings of the species anywhere in the world.
Northern Rift Valley
Approximate lake area
Ideal length of stay
Driest months
Why visit Lake Bogoria
When the algae bloom is right, the flocks run into the hundreds of thousands along the shoreline.
Boiling springs and geysers venting on the western shore. There is nothing else like it in Kenya.
The escarpment above the lake is one of the more reliable places in the country to find them.
The Siracho escarpment rises straight off the lake, which makes even the drive in worth it.
Well off the standard circuit, so you will often have the shoreline tracks to yourself.
Combines easily with Lake Baringo, and a single day covers it properly.
What there is to do
Flamingo Viewing
Best in the early morning from the shoreline tracks, before the heat builds and the haze comes up.
Hot Springs Visit
Geysers and boiling springs venting along the western shore. Stay behind the marked line; the water is scalding.
Game Drives
Morning and late afternoon drives in an open-roof vehicle, timed for when the animals are actually moving.
Birdwatching
Several hundred recorded species, with migrants arriving from November through to April.
Escarpment Viewpoints
The road above the lake gives the view that explains the whole geology in one look.
Wildlife you can expect
Lesser Flamingo
Bogoria’s alkaline water grows the algae they feed on, and the flocks here run into the hundreds of thousands.
Greater Kudu
The escarpment slopes above the lake are one of the more reliable places in Kenya to find them.
Leopard
Present in the rocky ground above the lake, though sightings take patience and luck.
Klipspringer
A small antelope that lives on rock, standing on the tips of its hooves. Look on the cliffs, not the flats.
Buffalo
Herds work the reserve floor and the springs, and old bulls are best given room.
When to go
Flamingo numbers depend on water chemistry rather than the calendar, so no month can be guaranteed.
Dry season
Firm tracks and clear air. The most comfortable conditions for walking the springs.
Short dry spell
Hot and clear, with a second dry window and very few other vehicles.
Short rains
Brief storms, green escarpment slopes and strong birding.
Long rains
Water levels rise, which can push the flamingos elsewhere and soften the shoreline tracks.
Add Lake Bogoria to your trip
Bogoria is usually reached from Nakuru or Baringo and slots into a longer Rift Valley route.