Green lake
Inside the crater.
CC0 · Peioma — CC BY-SA 3.0 · mwanasimba from La Réunion — CC BY-SA 2.0 · mwanasimba from La Réunion — CC BY-SA 2.0
Lake Dziani, «Dziani Dzaha», is a lake inside a volcanic crater in the north of Petite-Terre in Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Africa, about 3.7 km in a straight line north-east of Dzaoudzi. Its name means «crater lake» in the local language. The lake is almost round, about 660 m long and 400 m wide, covering some 45 hectares, with an average depth of four metres and a hollow reaching 18 m. It is not connected to the ocean, though the sea is only about a hundred metres away, and its chemistry gives it a striking green colour. The crater was formed by a volcanic explosion between four and seven thousand years ago, and its walls are mostly horizontal layers of pale volcanic ash. A walking path circles the rim among grass and trees, looking over the green lake on one side and the blue ocean on the other, and the site is a protected nature area. The visit is free. The lake is not suitable for swimming because of its salty, unusual water; the path is exposed to the sun, so go in the morning, bring water, and check local safety advice before travelling around.
Inside the crater.
A double view.
A hundred metres away.
Petite-Terre, Dzaoudzi, Mayotte
No, the water is salty and unsuitable.
Yes.
