Lake Mikuyu

Looking out over the lake. 

When we passed back through Singida we decided to try to check out one of the nearby alkaline lakes. Lake Mikuyu shows up in the map about 15km north of Singida along a dirt road, with no clear path to the lake. We are familiar with these ephemeral seasonal alkaline lakes and knew that access could be iffy.

We drove until we thought we had reached the side of the lake and then took a few roads to try to cut down to the shore. We frequently find more cattle tracks than passable road and this trip was no different. After a few attempts we finally found a track down to the shore and parked the car for a short walk. We were lucky that the clouds were out and the sun wasn't yet too hot.

The lake had dried up a bit and black cotton soil appeared dry, though under the cracked first layer remained a wet clay that was guaranteed to ensnare your vehicle if one so dared to drive on it. It's even quite difficult to walk on so we continued up on the grassy area walking along about half the distance of the western shore.

The area was sparsely populated by people who appeared to have planted a diverse set of crops and also plenty of cows and goats. We met several people taking their cows down for water and chatted with them about the rainy season and how the lake changes throughout the year.

It was overall a very positive adventure as many of our "lake finding" trips end up with us not finding access to the lake or with the lake being complete dry. There wasn't anything specifically spectacular about the area but the landscape was beautiful and the fact that there weren't many people added to the calm and peaceful feel of the area.

Checking out the island

No one was fishing today

Singida city

Ana taking in the view

During our trip a kind of mid-way point was Singida. A seemingly average small city in the middle of Tanzania, I came away loving the unique feel of the city and the centerpiece of Lake Singidani. 

Singida was much bigger than I had expected which makes sense since it's located quite central in Tanzania and a bit far from the other nearby large cities. It has a bit of a one-lane town feel but still has a busy and dense periphery around the main road. It was a little confusing at first to find the road down to the lake but we eventually found its and parked the car to go for a walk. 

The lake wasn't especially beautiful but was very open and lacked shops and structures on the shore. There were some rocky outcrops in the middle of the lake and at that time of the day the sun was on our backs and the light made the lake and reeds look very nice. Since it was Sunday it appeared that many people had the idea to come down to the lake for a walk and soon the area was bustling and alive with people walking along the lake, relaxing under a tree, and even some kids doing some acrobatics. I wondered if the lake was so lively everyday or if it was especially happening because it was Sunday.

It was really cool to see if so many people out and enjoying the landscape and surroundings. I felt like the lake was the closest thing I've seen to a public park in Tanzania, at least one that people were actively using. There was a great mix of young people older people and even some fishermen going into the lake towards the end of the evening. We took a long stroll up and down the lake eventually reaching a swamp. We enjoyed the lake as the sun went down and eventually made our way back to our hotel.

Clear waters of the alkaline Lake Singidani

Enjoying lakeside. 

There was a small peninsula popular with the locals