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Kenya Lakes - Spectacular Geysers add an Air of Surrealism to the Lakes in KenyaThe constellation of Kenya lakes ranges from freshwater to volcanic, alkaline and desert. The main ones are the vast Lake Victoria, the crocodile-infested Lake Turkana and Lake Nakuru which is famous for its millions of flamingoes. Others are Lake Naivasha, Lake Elementaita, Lake Baringo, Lake Magadi and Lake Bogoria, which spews out some breathtaking geysers. Lake VictoriaLake Victoria, shared by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, is located in western Kenya.
The lake is also the source of the Nile River which is the longest in the world. And, Kogelo, the ancestral village of US President Barack Obama, is located on the Lake Victoria's shores. Not surprisingly, the delicious tilapia and omega-rich Nile Perch fish are local delicacies. The latter is also a much sought-after game fish principally because it is huge but it is also a vicious fighter. Lake Nakuru
It serves as a watering hole for an array of animals, such as the African lions, leopards, black and white rhinos and buffaloes. It is one of the more famous Kenya lakes on account of the 1 million lesser flamingoes that flock there, drawn by the lake's blue-green algae that is a flamingo delicacy. Thanks to their pink plumes, the flamingoes virtually turn the lake into a sea of pink. Lake NaivashaLake Naivasha is a shallow freshwater lake in the Rift Valley. As is the case with the other Kenya lakes, it supports a variety of vegetation and wildlife...
Owing to its shallowness and the fact that it is replenished by underground springs, Lake Naivasha is notoriously temperamental. It is therefore not unusual for it to be gray and calm one minute and white with furious waves the next. The Masai appropriately refer to the lake as "Nai'posha" which means "rough water" although this has long been superseded by the anglicized "Naivasha." Perhaps the most commercially exploited of all the Kenya lakes, it supports a booming horticulture industry with many of the flowers and vegetables grown on its shores exported to Europe. Lake Naivasha is located right on the edge of Hell's Gate National Park which is itself worth exploring. Lake ElementaitaLake Elementaita is a shallow soda lake that is located between lakes Naivasha and Nakuru. It is home to well over 300 bird species including Greater and Lesser flamingoes. The lake's tilapia fish also attracts fish-eating birds such as pelicans and herons which also prey on flamingo chicks and eggs. After Lake Nakuru, Lake Elementaita is probably your best bet for seeing countless flocks of Lesser flamingoes. Zebras, warthogs and gazelles also frequent the lake's shores. Lake BaringoLake Baringo is an oasis in an extremely arid country.
Sizeable populations of hippos and crocodiles can be spotted easily. Besides boat rides and water skiing, visits to the Ol Kokwe Island can be arranged. The island is a good vantage point for spotting birds and hippos and is also the home of the fascinating Il Chamus people. The Il Chamus (also called Njemps) are pastoralist-fishermen, a rare feat as livestock-herders typically despise fish and fishing. Lake BogoriaLake Bogoria is a saline lake in a heat-scorched rocky corner of the northern Rift Valley.
Lake Bogoria sits on an active volcanic bed that spews out geysers that can be several meters high. Bubbling hot springs are also a common sight and part of the tourist's routine is to boil an egg in these piping hot pools. The lake attracts a variety of wildlife. Hundreds of thousands of Lesser flamingoes flock here when Lakes Nakuru and Elementaita's conditions are not favorable. The proliferation of flamingoes attracts fish eagles which devour the flamingoes' eggs and prey on the hapless chicks. Although Greater Kudu are the lake's prized wildlife attraction, baboons, zebras and gazelles can also be seen on the lake's shores. Lake MagadiLake Magadi is an immense pool of soda. In fact, it boasts the coveted distinction of being the second largest source of soda in the entire world, coming second only to the US' Salton Sea. Because Magadi is one of the hottest and driest places in the country, wildlife shuns it. But, as is the case with the other Kenya lakes, the lake is much visited for its prolific birdlife notably flamingoes... These birds evidently love saline waters. Lake TurkanaLake Turkana, formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is fittingly touted as one of the natural wonders of the world. It stretches an unbelievable 290 km (180 miles) long and 32 km (20 miles) wide earning it the distinction of the largest desert lake in the entire world. This helps to somewhat blunt the severe climate there, providing a lifeline for Kenya's desert communities, notably the Turkana people and the diminutive El Molo. But the marvels of Lake Turkana don't end there. Adventurer John Hillaby christened it the "Jade Sea" in recognition of one of the lake's colors. Indeed, the lake can be crystal clear one minute then gray, milky blue, emerald green or jade the next. Lake Turkana's majestic inhabitants? About 20,000 Nile crocodiles, oodles of the mammoth Nile Perch fish, hippos and a profusion of birdlife, including European migrants. Although undoubtedly the remotest of the Kenya lakes, any audacious traveler who makes it to Lake Turkana reaps huge dividends.
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It isn't just the largest of the Kenya lakes, it the second largest fresh water lake in the world.
Lake Nakuru is an alkaline lake that is completely surrounded by 
Dark green papyrus reeds. Yellow barked acacia trees. Hippos and buffaloes wallowing in the waters. Giraffes. Monkeys playfully leaping between branches. And, upwards of 400 bird species.
The lake is an ornithologist's dream with over 470 recorded bird species. And because it's the Rift Valley's only other freshwater lake besides Lake Naivasha, its fish attracts birds such as fish eagles, herons and pelicans that are rare in the region's predominantly saline lakes.
This severe landscape makes this lake's offerings more dramatic than that of many Kenya lakes.
