The Mtera Reservoir was created when a hydroelectric dam was built across the Great Ruaha River in 1981, flooding the valley behind it. The reservoir is substantial — one of Tanzania's largest bodies of inland water — and its shallow margins, particularly around the old river channels and the former wetlands that were inundated, attract extraordinary concentrations of waterbirds.
Herons, egrets, storks, ibises, cormorants, ducks, and waders are all present in large numbers, along with African fish eagles, osprey, and various kingfisher species. The best viewing is in the dry season (June–October) when water levels elsewhere in the region have fallen, concentrating birds around the reservoir. The Logi Mbuga wetland, reached by turning west at Chipogoro, is the most productive single site and is where local guides are based.
Photography is forbidden at the dam wall and the power station infrastructure. Elsewhere around the reservoir, photography is unrestricted.