Towns and places. Updated November 2026. 3 min read.
Lake Chala sits in a volcanic crater on the lower eastern slopes of Kilimanjaro, so deep and clear that it turns an improbable blue on a sunny morning, with the mountain rising behind it. The international border runs straight through the water: the northern and eastern rim is in Kenya, near the town of Taveta, and the western rim is in Tanzania. Very few people come here, which is part of its charm.
Here is the plain answer on access. From Kenya, you drive to the Kenyan rim from Taveta, walk the crater edge and, if conditions allow, take the steep path down to the water. You do not cross to the Tanzanian side from the lake: there is no border post at Chala, and going round to the Tanzanian rim means leaving Kenya at the Taveta and Holili border post, with a Tanzanian visa, and driving back up from the Tanzanian side. Most travelers simply stay on the Kenyan rim, which has the better view of Kilimanjaro anyway.
The lake
Chala is a caldera lake roughly 3 km across and around 90 to 100 m deep. No river flows into it: it is fed by groundwater seeping down from Kilimanjaro, which is why it stays clear and why its level barely changes. Its steep, vegetated walls drop straight into the water, and from the rim the colors shift through the day from deep blue to green. The lake is home to the Chala tilapia, a fish found nowhere else in the world and now critically endangered. Scientists have drilled deep into its bed, because its layered sediments hold a long, unbroken record of East Africa's past climate.
What to do
- Walk part of the crater rim in the early morning, when Kilimanjaro is most often clear, with a local guide
- Take the steep path down the crater wall to the water and back, about an hour or more in total; it is hot on the way up, so carry water
- Kayak on the lake if a kayak is available through the lodge or a local operator on the day; ask us before you go, as this changes
- Picnic on the rim and watch the baboons and monkeys that live on the crater walls
- Combine with Taveta's First World War sites: the town was on the front line in 1914 to 1916, and war cemeteries and Salaita Hill are close by
Swimming and safety
For years Chala was described as a crocodile-free lake where you could swim. Then, in 2002, a young visitor swimming in the lake was killed by a crocodile, and the standing advice since has been not to swim. We follow that advice and do not take guests into the water. Kayaking from a safe launch point, with a life jacket, is a different matter, and we only arrange it where a local operator is running it properly at the time.
The crater path is steep and loose in places. Wear proper shoes, go early, and do not attempt it in the heat of the day or after heavy rain. Baboons on the rim will take food from bags: keep snacks zipped away. Ordinary road safety and the sun are the main risks here.
Getting there
| From | Route | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Voi | Tarmac road west to Taveta, then north to the lake | About 2.5 hours |
| Tsavo West, Taveta side | Southern gates onto the Voi to Taveta road, then Taveta | About 1.5 hours |
| Amboseli | Via Kimana and Oloitokitok along the foot of Kilimanjaro to Taveta, on rough roads | A long half day; ask us about the road's state |
| Nairobi | Mombasa road to Voi, then Taveta | A full day; better broken in Tsavo |
Places to stay on the Kenyan rim are few and change from year to year, so most of our travelers sleep in Tsavo West, in a lodge near Taveta or at Amboseli and visit Chala for a morning. Ask us what is open when you travel. There is a small community or county charge at the lake; carry some shillings.
How it fits a trip
Chala and Jipe make a good day together, both on the southern edge of Tsavo West and both under Kilimanjaro: Chala in the morning, Jipe for birds in the afternoon. They suit travelers on a second Kenya trip, photographers and anyone driving between Amboseli and Tsavo West who wants something different from another game drive. Our Lake Jipe page covers the other lake, and our Amboseli versus Tsavo guide helps you choose the parks around them.
