Lake Natron

Lake Natron is a unique and otherworldly soda lake in northern Tanzania, famous for its striking red and pink coloration caused by algae and mineral content. The lake is one of the world's most important breeding grounds for flamingos and offers visitors an unforgettable experience of one of Earth's most extreme environments.

Special bacteria and blue algae thrive in this environment and form an ideal breeding ground for the life of birds. Such halophilic organisms include some cyano bacteria that, like plants, produce their own food through photosynthesis. The red pigment in those cyano bacteria produces the deep red colors of the lake’s waters and the orange colors in the shallow areas. Salt-loving microorganisms living there are coloring the alkali salt crust on the surface of the lake is red or pink.