Lake Chala

Kenya

This deep, spooky crater lake straddling the border with Tanzania is a worthwhile detour en route south to Moshi. There are grand views across the plains from the crater rim, with the mysterious waters shimmering hundreds of metres below. In early 2002, a gap-year student was killed by crocodiles here – although you can walk around the crater rim, be very careful near the water’s edge and under no circumstances consider swimming.

On market days (Wednesday and Saturday) in Taveta, there are local buses to Chala village (KSh80) 10km north, passing the turn-off to the crater rim.

Suggest an edit to this attraction

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Tsavo West National Park
22.64 MILES
Welcome to the wilderness. Tsavo West is one of Kenya’s larger national parks (9065 sq km), covering a huge variety of landscapes from swamps, natural…
Lake Jipe
20.45 MILES
This lake (pronounced ji-pay) lies at the extreme southwestern end of the park and is reached by a desperately dusty track from near Taveta. You can hire…
Chagga Live Museum
12.56 MILES
At Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort, the small but worthwhile outdoor Chagga Live Museum illustrates traditional Chagga society with a range of tools, living…

View more attractions

Nearby Kenya attractions

1. Chagga Live Museum

12.56 MILES

At Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort, the small but worthwhile outdoor Chagga Live Museum illustrates traditional Chagga society with a range of tools, living…

2. Lake Jipe

20.45 MILES

This lake (pronounced ji-pay) lies at the extreme southwestern end of the park and is reached by a desperately dusty track from near Taveta. You can hire…

3. Tsavo West National Park

22.64 MILES

Welcome to the wilderness. Tsavo West is one of Kenya’s larger national parks (9065 sq km), covering a huge variety of landscapes from swamps, natural…

View more attractions

placement: superzone
path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],

targeting:

{
  "url": "kenya/taveta/attractions/lake-chala/a/poi-sig/1566824/1341986",
  "destination": "Kenya",
  "continent": "Africa",
  "country": "Kenya",
  "position": "superzone"
}