Lake Ngozi

Ngozi fills a caldera in the Poroto range south of Mbeya, roughly two and a half kilometres long and one and a half wide, and it is one of the larger crater lakes in Africa. The colour shifts between deep green and blue depending on the light and on the algae in the water. A path climbs about half an hour through montane forest from the road to the crater rim, where the drop opens suddenly, and local stories attach a spirit and a snake to the lake.

Background

Lake Ngozi, also spelled Ngosi, lies near Tukuyu in the Rungwe District of Mbeya Region and is the second largest crater lake in Africa. The northern rim of its caldera is the highest point of the Poroto Mountains. The caldera formed in a Plinian eruption about 12,000 years ago that also spread the Kitulo pumice, and the latest activity sent a pyroclastic flow 10 km south around 1450 CE. The lake covers 3.1 square kilometres and reaches 74 metres deep, its floor is flat, and its level barely changes between the dry and rainy seasons. Large carbon dioxide emissions beneath the water, along with local legends of the lake's power to kill, point to a risk of a limnic eruption.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lake Ngozi"

Highlights

• The crater rim - the sudden drop to the water at the end of the forest climb.
• The colour - green and blue shifting with light and algae in the water.
• The montane forest - the walk up through closed forest with colobus and hornbills.
• The scale - a caldera lake around two and a half kilometres long.

When to go

June to October for the driest walking and the clearest views. The wet season makes the path very slippery. Cloud often sits on the rim in the afternoon.

Practical notes

The path is steep and muddy and guides are effectively compulsory. Cloud frequently closes the view entirely. There are no facilities at the rim.

Nearby

Mount Rungwe is south, and Mbeya is north.

Key facts