The shallowest and least-visited of the five lakes, lying west of the town. Cheleleka is more wetland than lake — broad, marshy, and seasonal. In recent decades it has dried back significantly during the dry months, and in some years has nearly disappeared altogether.
For bird-watchers it is the most rewarding of the lakes despite (or because of) the marshes. Flamingos, sacred ibises, spur-winged geese, and ducks gather here in numbers, and the open margins make for easier viewing than the steeper crater lakes. Walk in across the fields from the airport road; the lake has no developed access.