“This sharp crater lake on Kilimanjaro's foot is also a crocodile lake; a British teenager was killed by one here in 2002, and swimming is now discouraged.”
About Lake Chala
Lake Chala fills a volcanic crater on Kilimanjaro's southeastern flank and sits across the Tanzania-Kenya border. Long known locally for its crocodiles, it drew wider attention after a fatal crocodile attack on a British student in 2002. Scientists study its sediments as a record of East Africa's climate stretching back hundreds of thousands of years.
Lake Chala is a deep crater lake straddling the border between Tanzania and Kenya, cradled in a caldera on the southeastern foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Ringed by steep forested crater walls, its water shifts through shades of blue, green and turquoise with the season and the light, fed by underground streams from the great mountain nearby.
Lake Chala is a deep crater lake straddling the border between Tanzania and Kenya, cradled in a caldera on the southeastern foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Beautiful and Dangerous
For all its beauty, Lake Chala has a fearsome reputation. It is home to crocodiles, and in 2002 a British teenager was killed by one while swimming, a tragedy that made the lake internationally known and underlined that its calm surface hides real danger. Swimming is now strongly discouraged. The lake's water level also rises and falls markedly with the rains, since it has no visible outlet and is fed largely from below.
The Experience
You reach a viewpoint or hike down to the shore through dry forest, looking out over a striking circle of colour-shifting water enclosed by steep crater walls, with Kilimanjaro often looming behind. Kayaking is offered in controlled conditions, but swimming is discouraged because of the crocodiles. The peace and the colour of the water are the draw.
Why It Matters
Lake Chala combines natural beauty, cross-border geography and a cautionary story in one place, while its deep sediments make it a valuable archive of ancient climate. It is an offbeat, atmospheric counterpoint to the Kilimanjaro treks and safaris that dominate the region.
Lake Chala combines natural beauty, cross-border geography and a cautionary story in one place, while its deep sediments make it a valuable archive of ancient climate.
Why Visit
A beautiful, colour-shifting crater lake at Kilimanjaro's foot, with hikes and viewpoints, but admire it rather than swim, given the crocodiles.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Do not swim; the lake has crocodiles and a fatal history.
- 2
Hike the crater rim or down to the shore for the best views.
- 3
Kilimanjaro often appears behind the lake on clear days.
- 4
It straddles the Tanzania-Kenya border on Kilimanjaro's southeast side.
