What's Lake Turkana like?

In the Great Rift Valley, which borders Ethiopia in northern Kenya, the landform is desert or semi-desert. However, looking down from the sky, it seems that there is a huge and beautiful crystal ball flashing and jumping on the vast land of gray and yellow. This is the famous inland lake in Africa-Lake Turkana. Lake Turkana is not only the largest lake in Kenya, but also one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world today. It is also the Rift Valley in East Africa and the largest inland lake in Kenya.

Turkana Lake was formed tens of millions of years ago. It is in a long and narrow strip shape, extending 29 kilometers from north to south and reaching the Ethiopian border from north. It is 5-6 kilometers wide from east to west, with a widest point of about 56 kilometers. The lake area is about 6,45 square kilometers, with an altitude of 375 meters. The deepest part of the lake is at the southern end of the lake area, reaching about 12 meters. In the middle of the lake, there are three small islands in the south, middle and north, which are covered with dense grass. Lake Turkana is green, cool and salty, but it is drinkable. It has charming scenery and is famous as the "cradle of mankind".

Lake Turkana was formed by fault subsidence, and it is one of many lakes in the east branch of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. Historically, Lake Turkana was once connected with the Nile, but later, due to crustal movement, they gradually lost contact with each other. Today, there is no fresh water supplement in Lake Turkana. The lake is very alkaline, but it is barely drinkable. Vipers, cobras, rattlesnakes and other poisonous snakes can also be seen everywhere on the island. Despite the harsh environment, there are still some nomadic tribes who adapt to this hot desert climate and live here for a long time. There are 28 brave tribes living in this area, among which Turkana has the largest population. These tribes still maintain their unique living habits and live a primitive nomadic and fishing and hunting life.

Some unique customs and habits followed by residents here for generations have also become one of the reasons for attracting tourists.

The deepest part of Lake Turkana is at the southern end, where the water depth is 12 meters. The lake is rich in aquatic products, and there are many kinds of fish, which are also very big. Some fish are about several meters long and weigh hundreds of kilograms. The lake is rich in perch, tiger fish, multi-fin fish and so on, and sometimes hippos can be seen. Whenever dusk comes, large herds of antelopes gather here from all sides, and wildebeests and zebras also drink water at the lake. Sometimes you can see mammals such as lions and cheetahs by the lake.

Lake Turkana is simply a crocodile's "paradise". The crocodiles there are huge and numerous, which leaves the deepest impression on people. Sometimes hundreds of crocodiles gather together, and the scene is spectacular and imposing. An adult crocodile is even more than ten meters long. Crocodiles often climb into the grass on the shore in groups, and wait there quietly with their mouths open. Once animals and people pass by, they pounce and eat their prey. However, the residents on the lakeshore are not afraid. They just use this characteristic of crocodiles to drive live sheep to the lake to trap crocodiles and make solid and beautiful leather products from crocodile skins.

The Kenyan government has built a modern hotel by the lake, with a variety of rich tourism projects. Visitors can rent a boat to enter the lake area and cast nets for fishing. After landing, tourists can also hang a big fish whose body length is almost the same as that of human beings on a wooden frame and take a picture by themselves as a permanent souvenir.