Attractions at Lake Bogoria National Reserve
Lake Bogoria located in the rift valley of Kenya. It is an alkaline lake and lies in a volcanic region. The most beautiful thing about it was seeing the Hot springs and the flamingos. The area is so green and beautiful. It’s actually the home at times to one of the world’s largest flamingos.
Getting to the lake from the main entrance was disastrous, the roads are so rough. So ideally better to have a four-wheel drive and a driver who’s familiar with the surrounding because there are so many roads and there are no signs indicating where the hot springs are or which way to go.
At the entrance we were charged USD 50 dollars for non-resident and resident were few Kenya shillings. There is a resort, Lake Bogoria national reserve so if you aren’t into sitting in the car all day then you can stay at the resort. The vegetation around Lake Bogoria and on the way to when you get it is really nice.
Wildlife
The reserve’s main appeal lies in the scenery and the flamingos. The movement of the flamingos depends on water levels and algae concentrations. The reserve is also a refuge for greater kudu, but these stately animals aren’t seen very often. Warthog, Kirk’s dik-dik, Grant’s gazelle and impala can occasionally be seen crossing the road. The Burchell’s Zebra, impalas, gazelle’s warthogs can be seen on the plains. Vervet monkeys and olive baboons can be seen around the hot springs and campsites and the predators such as leopard, spotted hyenas and mongooses are hots of the reserve too.
Bird Life
Lake Bogoria National Reserve has more than 350 birds on its list, but the main attraction is an estimated two million lesser flamingos which flock in the shallow waters feeding on algae. Mixed in are many greater flamingos as well. Lake Bogoria is one of the best places in Kenya to see large flocks of these birds. Plenty of other water birds are easy to spot, and the call of a fish eagle is never far off. The lake supports large numbers of flamingos and on some occasions, as many as 2 million can be found feeding in the lake. The lake has no macrophytes but its phytoplanktonic flora is dominated by Spirulina platensis, which is dominant in most parts of the lake. The grey crowned crane is most elegant of birds and will be seen engaging in courtship dances when they gather in flocks during the breeding seasons where numerous pairs and mate-seeking adults assemble. The common ostrich is plentiful on the lake shores, around the swamps are the black-headed herons, sacred ibis, and hadada. Few water birds are at the lake because it is highly saline. The lake has high conservation value because of three bird species in particular — lesser flamingo, Cape teal, and black-necked grebe.
Fascinating phenomenon of the hot springs
Much more is the fascinating phenomenon of the hot springs, an indication that molten rock does not lie far below the earth’s surface. The lake has around 200 hot springs in total but has some large of these on one side of the lake. By the time it spurts off the ground, the water has reached over 94 degrees after circulating at great depth in the rock fractures. It is hot enough to boil an egg. Silently hidden away and surrounded by hills at the bottom of the rift valley is this magical sight.
Not one..not two but numerous hot springs bubbling and splashing water meters high..the water is hot enough to boil an egg.
Lake Bogoria
Lake Bogoria is characterized by the steep shoreline and has a trough basin morphometry comprising of three semi distinct but interconnected basins consisting of; the northern, central and southern basins. The southern basin, a relict volcanic crater is the deepest part (14 m), joined to the rest of the lake by a narrow isthmus. The Lake has high alkalinity with pH ranging between 9.8-10.6, alkalinity between 480-800 mg-1 and an electrical conductivity of 45,000-85,000 μScm-1. Phosphorus levels are extremely high and occur in the form of orthophosphates. Total phosphate and nitrogen concentrations of 3.5 mg-1 and 32 mg-1, respectively, have been measured in the lake. The open water is dominated by phytoplankton species such as Spirulina platensis, Microcystis flos-aquae, Anabaenopsis arnoldii and bacteria extremophiles. The shoreline vegetation is characterized by plant species such as Cyperus laevigatus, Sporobolus spicatus, and Cynodon dactylon among others.
Other wetlands and Swamps
Several swamps occur in the plan area and they differ in size, water chemistry, biota, and hydrology. The Loboi swamp is the largest and constitutes a key ecosystem component in the plan area as a water reservoir for livestock, agricultural, and domestic supply. Swamps along Sandai/Waseges River plays an important role in nutrient removal, agro-chemical retention, and sediment filtration. There are also other numerous small marshes fed by fault-related springs. The wetlands especially those outside the reserve are important to the local communities for water and food production. The swamps are also rich in birdlife
Cultural Centers
There are two cultural centers, depicting Tugen and Endorois community cultures. The Tugen cultural center displays traditional homesteads built in Tugen architectural design, old stools used by elders, and a viewpoint and is about 15 Km from the Reserve along Marigat–Loboi road. The viewpoint offers a panoramic view of the area including the Kiborgoch Swamp. Traditional dances and dishes are viable at the center on request. The Endorois Community Cultural Centre is located near the Reserve head office and similarly has traditional artifacts and resident traditional dancers’ troupes