Lake Iro

Lake Iro lies in southern Chad east of Sarh, a shallow lake fed by seasonal rivers that expands after the rains and shrinks back through the dry season, ringed by grassland and worked hard by fishing communities who use it from dugouts. Waterbirds gather in numbers as the water falls and concentrates the fish, and hippos are present. The lake is one of the more significant wetlands in the southern part of the country.

Background

Lake Iro lies in the Moyen-Chari Region of southeastern Chad, about 100 kilometres north of the country's frontier with the Central African Republic, at an elevation of 386 metres. It is close to circular, 13 kilometres long and 11 kilometres wide, with an area of 110 square kilometres. Water arrives in summer and autumn from the Bahr Salamat's eastern arm, which splits seven kilometres southwest of the lake. In the dry season the lake can dry out completely. One suggestion is that the basin it occupies is the remnant of an impact crater.

Source: Wikipedia, "Iro Lake"

The landscape

• The shallow lake - a body that expands and contracts with the seasons.
• The fishing communities - the villages working the water from dugouts.
• The waterbirds - the concentrations that build as the water falls.
• The hippos - the animals present in the lake.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season and the birds concentrate as water falls. The rains from June refill the lake. March to May is very hot.

Practical notes

There is no visitor infrastructure at all. Access requires four-wheel drive and local arrangement. Bilharzia is present in the water.

Nearby

Sarh is west, and Manda National Park is beyond it.

Key facts