Blue Lake

The Blue Lake near Tubmanburg is a flooded open-cast iron ore pit, worked from the 1950s until the ore ran out and the workings filled with water, and the minerals dissolved in it give the lake an intense blue that changes with the light. Steep rock walls drop straight into it. It is deep and cold and the surroundings are the bare terraces of the old mine. The Bomi Hills mine was one of the operations that made Liberia a significant iron exporter in the mid-twentieth century.

What you'll find

• The blue water - the colour the dissolved minerals give the lake.
• The pit walls - the rock dropping straight into the water.
• The mine terraces - the worked ground around the pit.
• The depth - a flooded working of considerable depth.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the road is best. The heavy rains from May make the track difficult. Midday light shows the colour strongest.

Before you go

Swimming is discouraged because of the depth, the cold and the mineral content. The site is unfenced with steep drops. Facilities are basic and a fee is collected.

Nearby

Tubmanburg is nearby, and Monrovia is southeast.