Lake Chala Kayaking

Lake Chala is one of East Africa's most beautiful and unusual lakes - a deep volcanic crater lake sitting directly on the Kenya - Tanzania border, its surface 100 metres below the rim of the ancient caldera. The water is a vivid turquoise-green, fed by underground seepage from Kilimanjaro's glaciers.

Kayaking on Chala is an extraordinary experience. The lake is almost perfectly circular and the steep caldera walls rise on all sides. On a clear day, Kilimanjaro towers directly overhead to the west. There are no motorboats, no noise - just the sound of paddles in clear water.

The drive from Moshi passes through banana plantation country on Kilimanjaro's eastern flank, through the border town of Taveta, and into Kenya briefly before descending to the lake - a scenic journey in itself.