Lake Chala IV

View from the east looking west of the lake.

We used to love Lake Chala (Trip I, Trip II, Trip III), but since the introduction of a government fee in 2014, we haven't returned. It's a funny situation as the area is privately owned (and has been for some years), yet the government feels entitled to collect a "conservation fee" from guests. The branch of the government that collects is not the same one as the national parks and thus there is no reduced resident rate; all foreign guests pay $25 USD. The actual Lake Chala camp has a very reasonable and quite cheap entrance fee and before the government fee it was about $15 for two of us to camp for the night. Now it's closer to $70, which has reduced the return visits to zero.

It had been over a year since we went and we did miss the camping. It has the best camping closest to Moshi and the large area of undisturbed land allows for long hikes and stunning vistas. We finally decided to return and as usual, had a wonderful time.

We enjoy taking the walk along a dry river bed (filled during flash floods) though there weren't any pools remaining which normally attract birds and other wildlife. The riverbed leads to a small crater, a perfect spot to hang your feet off the edge and look within the crater for wildlife.

Acacia scrub is a nice habitat for hiking because there always seems to be a place you can blaze your own trail, though you have to be careful to not box yourself into a thorny area. For the less adventurous, there are numerous small trails throughout the property, including one down to the lake where there is a small pier for swimming.

Although we enjoyed our stay, the cost of the park is a bit more than we would like to spend. I wouldn't mind if I felt the money was truly going towards conservation, but from what I have heard from people involved, it is not. It's unfortunate as it would likely have been a monthly camping spot (well, at one point it was, however short lived) but now it will be an occasional treat.

Dried up pool.

Walking along the river. It was a VERY hot day.

View of the plains.

Sitting on top of the crater rim.

Down by the lake.

We saw two nightjars on a nightwalk, this one a Donaldson-Smiths.

We also saw a grasshopper that was as big as my hand.

Here's another nightjar, the Squaretailed.