Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru National Park is a haven for Kenya birds located in the Great Rift Valley floor, lake Nakuru national park is one of the finest national parks in Kenya located in Nakuru district covering an area of 188 square kilometers is 170 kilometers northwest of Nairobi the capital city of Kenya. This magnificent park protects lake Nakuru a soda lake that lies south of Nakuru in the rift valley.

Lake Nakuru national park is a spectacular tourist destination with wide ecological diversity and varied habitats, apart from harboring Lake Nakuru the park is surrounded by escarpments and picturesque ridges, rocky hillsides, rocky cliffs and outcrops which make it more scenic. Nakuru national park shelters unique vegetation that is yellow acacia, woodlands, marshes and grassland among the vegetation there is 550 plant species including the unique and the biggest euphorbia forest in Africa. Lake Nakuru national park has a magnificent Makalia falls which create a picturesque view, the park matches 12.1 kilometers on the south eastern boundary with the soysambu conservancy a wildlife corridor used by rhinos stretching to lake Naivasha.

Lake Nakuru national park was first gazetted as a bird viewing and sports shooting area for migratory birds in the 1950s, in 1957 it was declared a conservation area after it was discovered that the park shelters a wide range of ecological diversity. In 1961 the southern two thirds of the conservation area was designated as a bird sanctuary, later in 1964 the bird sanctuary was extended to cover the whole Nakuru lake and a small strip of land surrounding the lake. In 1968 the sanctuary was declared a national park harboring wildlife and flora, in 1977 a number of endangered Rothschild giraffes were introduced into the park from western Kenya for their protection and in 2011 the park was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Lake Nakuru national park is one of the most popular national parks in Kenya famous for being home to the largest population of black rhinos and big flocks of pink flamingos in and on the shores of Lake Nakuru which make it the best sight for birding and wildlife viewing. Lake Nakuru is a home to many wildlife species such as lions, cheetahs, eastern black rhinoceros, zebras, hyena, water buck, white rhinos, hippopotamus, Thompson’s gazelle, Rothschild giraffes, impalas and many more. Among the 56 mammal species in Lake Nakuru national park does not support elephants as it is faced to protect rhinos and giraffes from being poached and killed by hunters. There is also primates in the park such as olive baboons, vervet and colobus monkeys.

The national park is a bird haven and worldly famous for harboring millions of deep pink flamingos which are seen on the shores and in the warm waters of lake Nakuru national park,  there are two types of flamingo species which are spotted. Lesser flamingos are the commonly seen and documented flamingos because they are large in number, these flamingoes are characterized by deep red carmine bill and pink plumage. The greater flamingos are rarely seen and few in numbers and characterized with a black tip on a bill which differentiates them from the lesser flamingoes. In addition to the flamingos, there are also other bird species which are estimated to be 399 in number which includes pelicans, cormorants, kingfishers, ostriches, storks, herons, eagles, bee eaters, starling, rollers and many more.

The national park receives dry sub-humid and semi-arid climatic conditions which means the park is neither too wet nor too dry and neither too hot nor too cold which makes safari activities in this amazing tourist destination fascinating. The park receives rainy and dry seasons, dry season is in the months of July to December and January to March and wet season is the in the moths of late December and April to June.  

Lake Nakuru national park as a tourist destination is an ideal destination for birding watching, hiking, picnic and game drives. While on a safari I this game park is perfect for taking pictures, the park has established viewpoints such as lion hill, baboon cliff and out of Africa and also tourists can use Enasoit, Honey moon and Lion Ridge hills though they are not established viewpoints.

The following are the fascinating safari activities offered by Lake Nakuru national park 

Game viewing: Lake Nakuru national park is a home to a wide variety of animals which are often seen in the open landscape of the park, in the short savanna grassland many animals can be seen such as lions, cheetahs, eastern black rhinoceros, zebras, hyena, water buck, white rhinos, hippopotamus, Thompson’s gazelle, Rothschild giraffes, impalas. These animals are seen using designated viewpoints such as out of Africa look out, baboon cliff, lion hill and many more.

Bird viewing: In the rift valley section of Lake Nakuru that is on the shores and in Lake Nakuru, many bird species can be sighted most especially the largest population of flamingos and pelicans in East Africa. The sight of deep pink flamingos is fascinating and to die for, other birds to see include cormorants, kingfishers, ostriches, storks, herons, eagles, bee eaters.

Camping: Camping in Lake Mburo national park is also another amazing safari, the park has many designated camping sites such as Naishi, Chui, Rhino, Soysambu, Nyati, Nyuki and Reedbuck which are special campsites and Makalia and Backpackers which are a public campsite.

Visiting the Makalia falls: Makalia falls in Lake Nakuru national park create a magnificent view as water flows to the group from the hill which is loved by many tourists.

Nature walks: Nature walks in Nakuru national park often take place around the shores of Lake Nakuru where a large population of flamingos are seen, hippopotamus, rhinos and many animals.

There are some rules and regulations which were drafted by Kenya wildlife services (KWS) for the safety of both animals and the tourists

  • Do not harass the animals 
  • Do not litter any form of rubbish
  • While on a game drive do not leave your vehicle 
  • Never drive off of designated routes in the park 
  • Which in the park keep quiet and if you spot something amazing any animal or scenic feature shut off your and watch quietly.
  • Do not give any food to the animals.     
Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park

The best months to enjoy safaris in Lake Nakuru national park are in the months of July to December and January to March which are dry and the routes are not muddy. It is better to note that even though these months are considered dry, a little amount of rainfall is received any time so it is better to carry raincoats and waterproof clothing. For tourist who does not like congestion while on a safari in Lake Nakuru national park can opt to do their safari in the rainy months of late December and January to march since few people do safaris in these months.

Note: since Lake Nakuru national park is fenced any time of the year is a good time to see the animals since they never migrate to any place.

 Accommodation while on a safari in Lake Nakuru national park can be got from Lake Nakuru Lodge, Sarovar lion hill lodge, Flamingo hill camp, Nakuru backpackers hostel, Merica hotel and many more. 

 Lake Nakuru national park can be accessed by road or by air, by Road you can either use your own vehicle or public means, the park is 156km northwest of Nairobi to the main gate and 4km from Nakuru town. By air you use a charted aircraft from Nairobi international airport to Naishi airstrip. Apart from the main gate there is also other gates which are used to get into the park such as the Lanet gate if you used Nairobi-Nakuru road and the Nderit Gate if traveling from Maasai Mara or Elementaita.

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