Blue water
In the crater.
Galkey — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Daniel Msirikale — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Joachim Huber — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Joachim Huber from Switzerland — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hansbaer — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wlenjo — CC BY-SA 4.0
Chala is a clear blue lake in an old volcanic crater east of Mount Kilimanjaro. Steep, forested walls surround the water on every side, red cliffs show through, and calm deep-blue water lies below. The lake formed about 250,000 years ago and straddles the border between Kenya and Tanzania, 8 km north of Taveta in Kenya. The crater wall around it reaches 170 m. About 80% of its water comes from groundwater rising from Kilimanjaro's forests. It holds a tilapia found nowhere else, which is critically endangered. You walk the crater rim to see the lake from above, take a steep path down to the water and sit on the shore in the shade. The lake is about 40 km in a straight line east of Moshi. The lake has crocodiles and is not considered safe for swimming, so do not swim. The path down is slippery, so wear proper shoes.
In the crater.
Views from above.
Red and green.
East of Kilimanjaro, on the Tanzania–Kenya border
No, the lake has crocodiles.
Yes.