Lake Nakuru National Park
About Lake Nakuru National Park
Nakuru National Park though famous for the numerous birds, it's also a wild game destination for animal lovers and wildlife explorers.
Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the best national parks in Kenya given that it has one of the Rift Valley soda Lakes i.e. Lake Nakuru. The park has 3 main gates and once you get into the park you will enjoy a wide variety of wildlife species and especially the Flamingoes which make the lake lool pink.
The Experience at Lake Nakuru National Park
Nakuru National Park, the park most famous for the colonies of flamingos that live on the shores of the park’s Lake Nakuru. Lake Nakuru park Kenya is a premium game park, one of only three in the country and one of the most visited game parks in Kenya.
Lake Nakuru Park is known as bird lover’s hub because of the numerous birds that make home in this park. Lake Nakuru kenya Park is home to over 400 bird species including the flamingos that live on the lake and in the park’s savannah grasslands. The bird species include but not limited to African Fish Eagle, Slender-billed greenbul, Long-tailed widowbird, Rufous-throated wryneck, Montane white-eye,Red-capped lark, Northern puffback, Rüppell’s robin-chat, Shining sunbird and many more
Nakuru National Park though famous for the numerous birds, it’s also a wild game destination for animal lovers and wildlife explorers. Lake Nakuru park is a habitat to over 100 endangered Rhinos distributed between the black and white rhinos; the park is also home to the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe and other 50 or more animal species that include buffalos, waterbucks, lions, impalas and many more.
Tourists Attractions at Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru national park also has a number of attractions which include the following;
Lake Nakuru is one of the attractions which this national park is famous for. This is because of the large numbers of flamingos which can be seen along the shores of this lake. The lake is a shallow soda lake that attracts the flamingos to its alkaline shores as they feed on algae.
Many other bird species can also be seen at this lake which makes it a good birding spot and a birders haven to experience both the native and migratory birds.
The types of flamingos which can be seen at this lake are lesser and greater flamingos which flock the lake with their pink color. These flamingos can be seen from viewpoints around the national park such as baboon cliff and Lion hill.
Wildlife species of a variety can also be seen in Lake Nakuru national park despite its smaller size compared to other national parks and reserves around Kenya. The wildlife species which can be seen include waterbucks, white rhinos, black rhinos which can be seen in the woodlands, Rothschild giraffes, leopards, lions, cheetahs among others.
Not far from Lake Nakuru is the fenced off sanctuary where some of the wildlife species such as giraffes and rhinos can be seen. The fence around the sanctuary keeps poachers away as well as restricting the movement of the wildlife species.
Bird species which can be seen in Lake Nakuru national park include both the migrant and native bird species such as the greater and lesser flamingos, African fish eagle, goliath heron, hammer kops, pied kingfishers, eagles, white pelicans, Hottentot teals, starlings, black winged lapwings, crab plovers, grey crowned cranes and many others.
Waterfalls in Lake Nakuru national park include Makalia waterfalls which is located in the southern part of the national park is a good spot for hikes as well as picnics for tourists as they explore the beautiful scenery and surroundings at this destination.
Viewpoints within the national park provide good vantage spots to see the different wildlife species as well as other attractions within Lake Nakuru national park. some of the viewpoints include the baboon cliff, Makalia cliff among others.
Rivers that provide water to Lake Nakuru include the Njoro River, Makalia river, and Enderit river.
Lake Nakuru Activities
Activities which tourists can engage in during their safaris to this destination include the following;
Game drives are among the ways of experiencing Lake Nakuru national park. These drives provide wildlife viewing experiences close to the wildlife species such as the white rhinos, leopards, lions, giraffes, hippos, impalas, waterbucks among others. These game drives take place at different times of day which provides unique experiences during safaris at this destination.
Bird watching is another interesting activity that is carried out in Lake Nakuru national park. This is because of the various bird species which can be seen in the different birding spots around the national park.
Hiking is another activity that takes place in Lake Nakuru national park and it takes place as tourists visit the viewpoints around the national park.
Best Time to Visit the Park!
Lake Nakuru National Park offers good wildlife viewing throughout the year, but the best months are from June to February. The rains might interfere with game drives and road conditions can be poor in the wettest months (April and May). However, the reorientation of some tracks to avoid the lake’s rising water levels has made trail conditions more consistent.
How to get to Lake Nakuru National park?
Lake Nakuru national park can be accessed by different means which include the following;
By road, Lake Nakuru national park can be accessed by driving from Nairobi to the entry gates of the national park such as the main gate which is located near Nakuru town or using the Lanet gate from the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
By air/ flight, tourists can use Naishi airstrip which is found in the southern part of the national park.
Accommodations around Lake Nakuru national park are categorized into luxury accommodations, midrange accommodations, and budget accommodations as well as camping. The accommodation facilities around this national park include Sarova lion hill lodge, Lake Nakuru Lodge, Lake Nakuru flamingo lodge, Merica hotel, Mbweha camp, Miali saba camp, Mirius guesthouse, Hotel waterbuck Nakuru among others.
Tourists can also opt for camping as an option of accommodation during their safaris and some of the campsites in Lake Nakuru national park include the following; Naishi campsite, Rhino campsite, Soysambu campsite, Kambi nyuki campsite, Makalia campsite among others. Experience the beautiful flamingos as well as a variety of wildlife during a safari to Lake Nakuru national park as you explore its different attractions.
Accommodation at Lake Nakuru National Park
Where to stay in Lake Nakuru NP looks at the different accommodation facilities which are available for tourists visiting Lake Nakuru as they explore its attractions and engage in a variety of activities.
Lake Nakuru national park is located in the central part of Kenya on the great rift valley floor. The accommodations in this national park are classified into luxury accommodations, midrange accommodations, and budget accommodations. The lodges where tourists visiting Lake Nakuru NP can stay at include; Lake Nakuru Sopa lodge, lake Nakuru Lodge, Lake Nakuru flamingo lodge, Flamingo hill tented camp, Maili saba camp, Mbweha camp, Sarova lion hill camp among others.
- Lake Nakuru Sopa lodge
- Lake Nakuru lodge
- Lake Nakuru Flamingo lodge
- Flamingo hill tented camp
- Mbweha camp
- Sarova lion hill camp