Lake Chala

Lake Chala sits in a steep-sided volcanic crater on the border between Tanzania and Kenya, east of Moshi and just north of Taveta. The border runs straight through the middle of the water.

It is a striking place. The crater walls drop several hundred metres to a lake that changes colour with the light and the season, from turquoise to deep blue and sometimes almost green. The basin is enclosed enough that it feels far more remote than the drive suggests.

The lake is fed by groundwater from Kilimanjaro, not by a river, and it has no visible outflow. That is why the level rises and falls over cycles of several years instead of by season.

The usual activity is the rim walk. It takes two to three hours around part of the crater, with viewpoints out over the water and, on a clear day, back toward Kilimanjaro. There is a steep path down to the shore.

You can swim, but not everyone advises it. Crocodile have been recorded in the lake and there was a fatality some years ago. Ask locally about current conditions, and take the answer seriously.

The drive from Moshi runs east on tarmac toward Himo and Taveta and then turns north on a rougher road, taking around an hour and a half in each direction. It is the longest drive of the five day trips here, and the road quality is the main reason.

Most visits combine the rim walk with time at a viewpoint and, for those who want it, the descent to the water. The path down is steep and the climb back up is the hard part of the day.

The area is much quieter than Materuni or Chemka. On a weekday you may have the rim to yourself, which is a good part of the appeal.

Birding around the crater is good, with raptors using the thermals off the walls.

A lodge on the rim serves food and is the usual lunch stop.

Because the border runs through the lake, don't attempt to cross to the Kenyan side. There is no crossing point here and it's a real legal problem, not a technicality.

Time Lake Chala carefully, because both the light and the road change through the year.

The colour of the water is why most people come, and it looks best in bright, high sun. That means the middle of the day, not early morning, which is unusual for this region. Overcast weather flattens the colour a lot.

The dry seasons, June to October and January to February, give you the most reliable conditions and the easiest road. The last stretch is rough in any season, and it can be difficult after heavy rain.

The water level moves over cycles of several years, not by season. The lake is fed by groundwater from Kilimanjaro, not by a river, and it has no visible outflow. It has risen and fallen a great deal within living memory.

Views of Kilimanjaro from the rim are best on clear mornings between June and February. The mountain is often in cloud by mid-morning.

Chala is quiet on weekdays. It gets busier at weekends, with visitors from Moshi and from the Kenyan side.

Chala is a maar, not an ordinary volcanic cone. A maar forms when rising magma meets groundwater and the whole thing explodes as steam. That is why the walls here are so steep and the basin so sharply cut.

The lake is fed entirely by groundwater flowing off Kilimanjaro through porous volcanic rock. Nothing flows in or out on the surface.

Scientists have studied the sediment at the bottom as a long climate record for East Africa. The enclosed basin traps an undisturbed sequence going back a very long way.

The border between Tanzania and Kenya runs through the middle of the water. That is why there are facilities on both sides and no way to cross between them. Do not try. It is a real legal problem, not a technicality.

The lake is deep, over ninety metres in places, and cold below the surface layer. The sides drop away steeply from the shore.

Crocodile have been recorded here, and there has been at least one fatal incident. Take local advice about swimming seriously. It is not just caution.

A deep crater lake on the Tanzania–Kenya border, around ninety minutes east of Moshi on a road that's rough for the last stretch. The rim walk takes two to three hours with viewpoints over the water and, on clear mornings, back toward Kilimanjaro.

Bring closed shoes with grip, sun protection, plenty of water and cash for the entrance fee and lunch. It is the most exposed of the five trips and there's very little shade.

On swimming: crocodile have been recorded here and there has been at least one fatal incident. Ask locally on the day and take the answer seriously. Allow six to seven hours in total.

Ninety minutes east of Moshi, a two-to-three hour rim walk over a deep crater lake on the Kenyan border, and the quietest of the five day trips. Exposed and hot. Bring water, sun protection and shoes with grip. Take local advice on swimming seriously.

Chala is the longest drive of the five day trips and it repays a little planning.

Leave early. The road east through Himo is straightforward but the last stretch north is rough. Be there for the morning light on the crater walls.

Take lunch at the lodge on the rim instead of carrying a packed lunch. It's the only food within reach and the terrace has the best view of the lake.

Combine the rim walk with the descent to the shore only if you have the legs for the climb back. It is steep and loose, and after two hours on an exposed rim in the sun it's harder than it looks from above.

Go on a weekday if you can. At weekends the site draws visitors from both Moshi and the Kenyan side.