Central Island National Park

Central Island sits in the middle of Lake Turkana and is entirely volcanic, made of overlapping craters of which three hold their own lakes: Crocodile Lake, Flamingo Lake and Tilapia Lake, each with different water chemistry and different life in it. The island still steams from fumaroles. Its ecological significance is the crocodiles: thousands of Nile crocodiles breed on the shores here, one of the largest concentrations anywhere, hauling out on the beaches and nesting in the sand, and the sight of them from the crater rims is what visitors come for. Flamingos use the alkaline crater lake. Getting there means a boat crossing of an hour or two from Kalokol on the west shore or from Loiyangalani, and Turkana is notorious for sudden violent winds that make the lake dangerous with little warning.

Background

Central Island, also called Crocodile Island, lies in the middle of Lake Turkana and is a national park run by the Kenya Wildlife Service. The island, 3 km across and mostly of basalt, is built of over a dozen cones and craters, and small lakes fill three of them; the two largest lie in craters as much as a kilometre across and some 80 m deep, whose floors are close to sea level. Its highest point reaches 550 m, about 190 m above the lake, and a chain of small explosion craters runs east to west across its eastern side. Steam vents line the rim of the central crater: visitors in the 1930s saw sprays of sulphur, and in 1974 molten sulphur and clouds of steam could be seen from the mainland.

Source: Wikipedia, "Central Island"

What's there

• The three crater lakes - separate waters inside the volcanic island.
• Crocodile breeding beaches - very large numbers hauled out and nesting.
• Fumaroles - steam still escaping from the volcanic ground.
• Flamingos - birds on the alkaline crater lake.

When to go

Dry seasons; crossings are weather-dependent year-round and are often cancelled. Early morning is calmest on the lake. Crocodile nesting concentrates in the drier months, which is when the beaches are busiest with animals.

Before you go

The crossing is the risk: Turkana squalls arrive fast and boats are small. Only go with an experienced operator and be willing to turn back. There is no shade, water or shelter on the island. Crocodiles are wild and numerous and distance matters.

Nearby

Sibiloi lies on the eastern shore; Loiyangalani is on the southeast.

Key facts