The pond became a favorite place for flamingos not by chance: its soda- rich waters are scared away by its pungent smell of predators, which allows birds to feel safe.

This species of birds lives only in the area of this pond. Lake Natron in Tanzania is the habitat of a rare species of small flamingos. To feed themselves, local aborigines sell milk, meat and animal blood. The given community lives at the expense of cattle breeding, driving animals along the lake in search of pastures. Now near Natron there live a few tribes of sala from the genus massa. Thousands of years ago, in the area where Lake Natron is, lived hominids, who are considered distant ancestors of modern man. The area around the reservoir remains unoccupied, but recently a lot of tourist bases have appeared around it. It is very hot here, and the air is too dry and dusty - such conditions do not at all contribute to tourist trips. The climate in the lake area is very severe. In shallow water the water has a pinkish hue. As a result of photosynthesis, these bacteria turn red, and even in the places of their most extensive concentration, even water is colored. Lake Natron is so salty that a large amount of cyanobacteria is formed here. Mysterious red colorĪ frightening red color can be seen only on those parts of the lake where the greatest evaporation is observed. Because of the large variety of biological organisms, Natron is ranked among the regions of international importance. The water temperature can reach +50 o C, and the alkalinity ranges from 9 to 10.5.

In summer, there is a strong evaporation, sharply increasing the concentration of salts and other minerals (especially sodium carbonate).

The average depth of the pond is small - about 3 meters. The depth of the lake is constantly changing and very dependent on the season. Water resources are the Nyiro River and thermal springs rich in minerals. Natron is located near the Kenyan border. In the south-east of the lake is the volcano Helai. The water in this pond is always warm and quite salty. In the northern part of Tanzania, there is a unique lake Natron.

Flamingo natron lake