[2] Elmenteita is derived from the Maasai word muteita, meaning "dust place", a reference to the dryness and dustiness of the area, especially between January and March.

Elmenteita attracts visiting flamingoes, both the greater and lesser varieties, which feed on the lake's crustacean and insect larvae and on its suspended blue-green algae, respectively.

Recently the lake level and number of flamingoes has receded as increased human activity has dried up catchment areas.

[5] Nearby is the Kariandusi Museum, at an important prehistoric site where stone handaxes and cleavers were discovered in 1928 by Louis Leakey.

Elmenteita Badlands is a lava flow to the south of the lake, covered in bush and including some spectacularly scenic peaks.