Lakes >>
Baringo
Lake
Bogoria National Reserve is a saline water shallow located at the
northern region of the Kenyan Rift, 25 km south of Baringo. The
reserve covers the lake and adjacent lands, with 107 km². This
small equatorial lake has geysers, and hot springs. They are relatively
few vantage points from which you can see it but its topaz and green
waters are strikingly beautiful. The Maasai know Lake Bogoria as
Mbatibat. Along Lake Bogoria’s western shore is a bed of hot
springs and blowholes, which infrequently erupt two and a half to
three meters (8 to 10 ft) into the air, and constantly emit a pungent
sulfur smell. These geothermal phenomena are fascinating but also
dangerously hot. Fresh water springs at the lake edge attract an
abundance of birds and wildlife. Zebra and gazelle are easily seen
around the Lake shores. Searching the higher, forested areas may
reveal Buffalo or the rare Greater Kudu.
Bogoria is not recognized as a place of mammal diversity, though
the quantity is far from a demerit to quality. The top attractive
of this reserve relies on the fact that it has become a sanctuary
for the protection of the greater kudu, a shy antelope usually inhabiting
open forests in mountain regions. If Bogoria and Baringo are the
northernmost stops in your trip, you will never see this animal
in any other park. They are so abundant in Bogoria now that sightings
are not rare. The greater kudu is a beautiful animal with large
spiral horns and a fringe of hair on the throat (only the bulls),
wide ears, the body vertically striped in white and a characteristic
white chevron between the eyes. The greater kudu population, formerly
very extended, was severely affected by rinderpest transmitted by
cattle over the 19th century, restricting its habitat away from
the livestock haunts.
Other mammals in the reserve include buffalo, baboon, Grant's gazelle,
Kirk's dik-dik and klipspringer, the latter at the rocky slopes
south and east of the lake.
Same as in all the Rift Valley lakes, birdlife is plentiful and
diverse in Bogoria. The lake is regularly visited by thousands of
greater and lesser flamingoes, which gather at the shore opposite
to the hot springs. However, occasionally curiosity kills the flamingo
as well, since some unaware specimens die victims of sulphur emanations
and high temperatures. The reserve also hosts among others some
vultures, bustards, larks and prey birds, worth to mention the fish
eagles, which due to the lack of fish have learned to hover on flamingoes.
Bogoria is not recognized as a place of mammal diversity, though
the quantity is far from a demerit to quality. The top attractive
of this reserve relies on the fact that it has become a sanctuary
for the protection of the greater kudu, a shy antelope usually inhabiting
open forests in mountain regions. If Bogoria and Baringo are the
northernmost stops in your trip, you will never see this animal
in any other park. They are so abundant in Bogoria now that sightings
are not rare. The greater kudu is a beautiful animal with large
spiral horns and a fringe of hair on the throat (only the bulls),
wide ears, the body vertically striped in white and a characteristic
white chevron between the eyes. The greater kudu population, formerly
very extended, was severely affected by rinderpest transmitted by
cattle over the 19th century, restricting its habitat away from
the livestock haunts.
Other mammals in the reserve include buffalo, baboon, Grant's gazelle,
Kirk's dik-dik and klipspringer, the latter at the rocky slopes
south and east of the lake.
Same as in all the Rift Valley lakes, birdlife is plentiful and
diverse in Bogoria. The lake is regularly visited by thousands of
greater and lesser flamingoes, which gather at the shore opposite
to the hot springs. However, occasionally curiosity kills the flamingo
as well, since some unaware specimens die victims of sulphur emanations
and high temperatures. The reserve also hosts among others some
vultures, bustards, larks and prey birds, worth to mention the fish
eagles, which due to the lack of fish have learned to hover on flamingoes.
