SODA LAKE MAINSTAYS

The best place to see them is Lake Nakuru, a high-altitude soda lake (for us science geeks, an alkaline lake with a ph ranging from 9 to 12) located in west central Kenya in Africa’s Rift Valley Region.

The lake is renowned for hosting over a million greater and lesser Flamingos, who visit the lake to feed on algae and Invertebrates during the rainy season, when fresh nutrients spur algal growth.

When the rains don’t come due to a drought, or when the lake’s water level rises too high for algae to grow, the Flamingos leave it to feed at other soda lakes like Lakes Baringo, Oloiden and Bogoria.

“They haven’t been spotted in Lake Nakuru for over eight years owing to higher than usual lake water levels, but wildlife-wise, I guess you are pretty lucky,” says our chuckling guide while scanning the lake for other water Birds like Storks, Cormorants, and Pelicans.