A striking red alkaline lake beneath Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano, the primary breeding ground for East Africa's lesser flamingos.

Lake Natron is one of East Africa's most otherworldly landscapes, a shallow alkaline lake whose waters turn a vivid blood-red from salt-loving microorganisms thriving in its caustic depths. Beneath the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai, the lake's crusted shores and mineral flats form the primary breeding ground for East Africa's lesser flamingo population, with hundreds of thousands gathering to nest on its remote salt islands. Few travellers venture this far off the northern circuit, making Natron a striking and little-visited reward for those seeking Tanzania's wilder, more surreal corners.
✦Red alkaline waters
✦Flamingo breeding grounds
✦Ol Doinyo Lengai views
✦Dramatic lunar landscape
✦Birdwatching
✦Rift Valley scenery