A freshwater lake in the Rift Valley of Baringo County, recognised as a Ramsar site, whose tilapia and catfish fisheries sustain the communities along its shores.
Our full guide to Lake Baringo is in preparation. We publish only facts we have checked against official sources.
Lake Baringo in our Kenya guide, with the places around it.
Lake Baringo is fresh water, a contrast with alkaline Lake Bogoria nearby. The County Government of Baringo describes the two as internationally acclaimed Ramsar sites, and the county, home to Tugen, Pokot, Il Chamus, Turkana and Kikuyu communities, is a candidate for UNESCO Global Geopark status, analysing 15 geological sites for protection in partnership with UNESCO and the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO.
The lake is a working lake: its tilapia and catfish fisheries sustain lakeshore communities, and the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute has studied it from its station at Marigat since 1990. The county around it is varied too, with hot springs, gorges, waterfalls, rich fossil deposits and forests, and a growing network of fourteen community wildlife conservancies supported by the county government.
KMFRI describes profound hydrological change at Lake Baringo in recent decades. Its scientists study the lake’s water levels, sediment and turbidity and their effect on fish habitat and the lake’s productivity, and they link land use in the catchment to water quality, informing watershed management and restoration. For visitors, that means the lake’s shoreline and character can change noticeably from one year to the next.
Wildlife moves freely and sightings are never guaranteed.
Every journey here includes Lake Baringo on its catalogue route.
Samburu · Nakuru · Bogoria/Baringo · Maasai Mara · Amboseli
Budget nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp (Maasai Mara), Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru) and Nyati Safari Camp (Amboseli), with camp or lodge stays at the other stops.
Naivasha · Nakuru · Bogoria/Baringo · The Ark · Samburu
Lodge accommodation, with Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru).
Mt Kenya · Nakuru · Baringo · Kakamega · Lake Victoria · Maasai Mara · Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Lodge accommodation, with Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru).
Kenya
Combined with Lake Baringo on 3 of our journeys.
Kenya
Combined with Lake Baringo on 2 of our journeys.
Kenya
Combined with Lake Baringo on 2 of our journeys.
Kenya
Combined with Lake Baringo on 2 of our journeys.
Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Park rules, fees and conditions change, so always check the latest before you travel.
Tell us when you would like to travel and who is coming, and our team will suggest safaris that include Lake Baringo.
