List of Salty Water Lakes in Kenya

Salty water lakes in Kenya cover a higher percentage of lakes found in Kenya, about 70% of lakes found in Kenya are salty while 30% are freshwater lakes. These lakes are also referred to as saline lakes meaning they have a high concentration of salt which in this case is Sodium  Chloride and other dissolved minerals. In addition, they can also be called soda lakes or pink lakes depending on their colors.

In Kenya, most of these lakes are based in Rift Valley and some of them serve as home to several species of birds like flamingos which in attracts tourists.  In this article, we take a look at the list of salty water lakes in Kenya.

List of Salty Water Lakes in Kenya

1. Lake Bogoria

Lake Bogoria is located in Baringo County and it is well known for geysers and hot springs. Apart from the geysers and hot springs Bogoria also serves as home to World’s largest lesser flamingos species. It features a depth of 10 meters, 34 kilometers long, and 3.5Km wide. In addition, it also has a drainage basin of about 700 square kilometers.

2. Lake Elementaita

The lake is also located in the Great Rift Valley in Ngil Gil, Nakuru County. It is among the lakes categorized as soda lake, it’s name Elementaita was derived from the Maasai word “muteita” which means “dust place”

The lake attracts over 200 different bird species including visiting flamingos both of greater and lesser variety. In addition, it is also one of the UNESCO heritage sites and it is a protected area because of its abundant birdlife.

3. Lake Nakuru

The lake is located in Nakuru, Nakuru county and it is under the protection of Lake Nakuru National Park and it is also listed as a UNESCO heritage site. It features an elevation of 1,754m above sea level with an average depth of 1 foot and a maximum depth of 6 feet. In 1993, the lake recorded a high-level water drop but in 2013 the lake recorded a higher rise in water level.

The lake is famous for attracting a huge number of flamingos but has no outflow or rivers flowing out of the lake.

4. Lake Turkana

The lake was formerly known as Lake Rudolf, it is located in the northern part of Kenya still in Rift Valley, Turkana County. It is regarded as one of the world’s largest salty lakes and the world’s largest permanent desert lake. It has a width of 32 Kilometers, a length of 290 Kilometers, and a maximum depth of 109 meters.

5. Lake Magadi

Magadi is located in the southern part of Rift Valley and as a saline lake during the dry season you normally find almost 80% of it is covered by soda. It also attracts a variety of birds including flamingos.

In addition, the lake is dense in sodium carbonate brine and the lake is up to 40m thick. It is recharged by saline hot springs of up to 86 degrees.