The water of Lake Natron is blood-red, a feature that is especially pronounced in areas with a high evaporation rate.
Lake Natron is a saltwater lake located in northern Tanzania, northeast of the Ngorongoro Crater and near the Kenyan border. Nestled among volcanoes, Lake Natron sits at the lowest point of the Great Rift Valley, at an elevation of 600 meters above sea level.
Lake Natron
The lake receives water from the Southern Ewaso Ng’iro River and mineral-rich hot springs. The water is relatively shallow, with a depth of less than 3 meters, and its width varies depending on the water level. The water level frequently changes due to high evaporation rates, resulting in the concentration of salts and minerals, particularly sodium carbonate (natron), at the lake’s bottom. The surrounding area is extremely dry and dusty, making it less favorable for tourism.
Visitors to Natron will experience one of the most unique landscapes in Tanzania. The water of Lake Natron is blood-red, a feature that stands out in areas with high evaporation rates. As the water evaporates during the dry season, salinity increases to the point where halophilic microorganisms begin to thrive. These microorganisms give the lake its deep red hue, while shallower areas exhibit a more orange color.
High temperatures (around 41 degrees Celsius) combined with uneven salt concentrations in the lake make Natron an inhospitable environment for wildlife.
Although most creatures cannot drink the hot lake water, it provides an ideal habitat for a halophilic microorganism known as cyanobacteria. This is also what gives the lake its red color—the pigments in cyanobacteria appear red in the deeper parts of the water, while shallower areas are more orange.
This lake is also dubbed the “Lake of Death” because for thousands of years, any creature that accidentally falls into the lake becomes calcified in a short period. The “culprit” behind this strange phenomenon at Lake Natron is the one-million-year-old volcano named Ol Doinyo Lengai, located to the south of Lake Natron. The lava from the volcano carries a significant amount of mineral salts.
In fact, Lake Natron is a stagnant body of water.
While this colorful surface may appear attractive to many, it is a deadly trap for most animals. The alkaline water of Lake Natron can reach a pH level as high as 12, whereas conditions suitable for life typically hover around a pH near 7. If you were to bathe in this lake, the chemicals in the water would burn your skin and eyes. If an animal drinks the water, it is very likely to die from severe cellular, neurological, and liver damage.
In reality, Lake Natron is a stagnant body of water, with water only able to evaporate without any exchange with the outside. The lake contains a chemical known as Natron—primarily a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). This substance enters the lake through eroded materials from the surrounding hills. As it cannot escape and continuously evaporates, the lake’s water has a very high alkaline concentration.
That said, no one really knows for sure how precisely the animals die after drinking the water from this lake.
Due to the lake’s unique characteristics, animals that die in the water become calcified. It is often said that Lake Natron can turn these unfortunate animals to stone, but in reality, it resembles a mummification process more closely.
