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LAKE BOGORIA
Lake Bogoria National
Reserve covers 107 km sq within a large rectangular catchment.
Most of the reserve is occupied by Lake Bogoria
which is a spectacular sight, reflecting searing blue skies and the rose pink
of flamingo. It has significant ornithological interest with 135 species of
birds recorded. Like Nakuru, the alkaline lake waters grow blue-green algae
which seasonally attract thousands of flamingo.
The surrounding bushed grasslands are home to a number of animals. The
Reserve’s herd of the rare Greater Kudu makes it unique and other game to
view includes: buffalo, zebra, cheetah, baboon, warthog, caracal, spotted hyena,
impala, dik dik and many small mammals. The south shore has acacia-ficus
woodland and to the north is a papyrus swamp.
Birds are in plenty . They include among others; little grebe, tawny eagle, pratincole,
swift, little bee-eater, cape wigeon, yellow-billed stork, African spoonbill,
augur buzzard, gabar goshawk, water dikkop, gret tit, starling, hornbill,
crombec.
The middle zones are
dominated by bush and scub lands which are dominated by grazing areas. At the
lower zones before it enters the northern part of the lake the river goes
through a very dry area dominated by bush and scrubland. The hot springs on the
western edge of the lake attract a large number of visitors creating problems
(solid wastes pollution, and destruction of fragile rocks at the
hot-springs). The lake's biodiversity is seriously threatened by siltation
and tourism is also expanding rapidly in the area. There are also local
initiatives of rehabilitating the land and improving availability of pasture
through sowing of grass and cover crops. The lake supports large numbers of
flamingos and in some occasions as many as 2 million can be found feeding in
the lake. The lake has no macrophytes but its phytoplanktonic flora is dominated
by Spirulina platensis, which is dominant in most parts of the lake.
The climate is warm (25 to 35 degrees) all year
round, day and night. While a welcome breeze blows off the Lake
in the evenings, the sensation of coldness is practically unknown here. The
annual average rainfall is 640 mm, a large proportion of which falls in
May-July and a lesser amount in November-December.
Off-road
routes
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