It is situated at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. It is 330 sq km of which up to 200 sq km is lake when water levels are high. It has stunning variety of habitats that attracts a range of animals such as gazelles; impala; buffalo; wildebeest; the famous tree climbing lion; hyena; baboon; giraffe; hippopotamus; and a great number of smaller mammals.

This is a paradise for bird watching and photography. More than 400species have been recorded. There are seed-eaters, insect-eaters and water birds.

Dry season (July-October) for large mammals; wet season (November-June) for bird watching, the waterfalls and canoeing.