In 2011, as he was about to shoot for a book titled “Across the Raven’s Land” (Abrams Books, 2013) on the invisible wildlife of East Africa, photographer Nick Brandt came across a truly amazing place: a natural lake that Turning! Photographer Nick Brandt has captured countless images of ghosts of animals frozen in the extreme waters of Natron Lake, Tanzania. This is by far the most unimaginable source of bizarre photographs – images that look like living creatures instantly turned to stone. Lake Natron in Tanzania is one of the largest waterfalls in Africa. The mystery of our nature is nothing less than a fairy tale!

During the dry season, the water in the lake evaporates and concentration of salts and microorganisms gets higher, creating amazing colours.Mysterious ‘Natron’ Lake: The lake that turns animals into rocks!ĭoesn’t it sound like a horrible fairy tale? Because of how animals turn to stone in a natural reservoir! But even if it seems like a myth, it is true. The best months to visit Lake Natron are the coolest ones from June to August. The lake enchants bird watcher’s across the world to watch flamingoes and the spectacle is often referred to as the ‘pink parade’. The flamingos are a source of income through tourism for Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya with an income of half a million US dollars at Lake Natron alone. But they too must be cautious because the lake can turn deadly even to them. This forbidding environment is the birds only breeding ground in East Africa that serves millions of lesser flamingos as the ideal nursery. In some places the salt is up to 40 metres thick. The lake basin is approximately 65 km long although on average only 20% of this is ever covered by water.

The salty crust, however, changes over time, giving the lake a different appearance each time. The lake gets its reddish hue from salt-loving microorganisms called halophiles that thrive in its alkaline waters and produce reddish pigments, which color the lake’s salt crust red. Just to put it into perspective, 45 Celsius degrees causes blisters. Depending on rainfall, the lake's alkalinity can approach that of straight ammonia, and when the lake is flooded with water it reaches hellish 60 Celsius degrees temperatures. This bright red Lake Natron is the world’s most caustic body of water.

Bright red lake natron