Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya, Safari Attractions, Safari Activities in Lake Nakuru Park, Where to stay in Lake Nakuru Park, Kenya Wildlife and Bird Watching Safaris Tours. Named after its soda lake Nakuru in Kenya, Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya is located in the South of Nakuru County, near Nakuru town- fourth largest town in Kenya after Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu and the largest town in the Kenyan mid-west. Lake Nakuru National Park is about 164kms North of Nairobi in the Kenyan rift valley and is protected by the Kenya wildlife service, under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands. It is also registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lake Nakuru in Kenya has a maximum depth of 1.83metres and minimum depth of 2.3m, surface elevation of 1,760m and the lake covers approximately 45km^2.  It has no primary outflows; neither rivers nor cracks flowing out of lake Nakuru.

The word Nakuru means “Dust or Dusty Place“ in the Kenya`s Maasai language.

Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya was established in 1961, in Nakuru County of Kenya. It started off small only surrounding the famous lake Nakuru and the surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended up to 188 km2 to include a large part of the savannahs. Lake Nakuru in Kenya is crowded with lots of algae which attracts masses of flamingoes and other birds that famously line the shores looking for algae as their food. Indeed “The Birders` Paradise”, lake Nakuru National Park Kenya inhabits about 400 bird species along the lake shores and the surrounding area including millions of the famous millions of fuchsia pink flamingos, the African fish eagle, Goliath heron, hamerkop, pied kingfisher and verreaux`s eagle among others.

Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya also called “The Birders` Paradise”, is best known for its thousands, sometimes millions of flamingos nesting along the shores. The surface of this shallow lake is often hardly recognizable due to the continually shifting mass of pink. The number of flamingos on the lake varies with water and food conditions. However, the best vantage point is from Baboon Cliff. Also of interest is an area of 188 km (116 mi) around the lake fenced off as a sanctuary to protect giraffes as well as both black and white rhinos.

Currently, Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya has about 50 eastern black rhinoceros, approximately 100 rare white rhinos, a number of Rothschild’s giraffes, Impalas, dik-diks, hippos, Burchell’s zebra, grants gazelles, and waterbucks. Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya is also home to large sized pythons that inhabit in the dense woodlands and can sometimes be seen crossing the roads or hanging on trees as well as predators like the east African lions, cheetahs and leopards.

Climate and Weather: The park is always misty and cool year in-year out. The altitude of the Aberdare dictates the climate despite its nearness to the equator.In the rainy seasons from March to May and October to December, park roads become impassable.

Best time to visit of Lake Nakuru National Park: Lake Nakuru National Park can be visited any time of the year but the most convenient time is during the dry season months of June- October and January to February.[vc_column_text]

Attractions in Lake Nakuru Park Kenya

Lake Nakuru National Park is famous for its wide range of attractions which include warthogs, baboons, eastern black and white southern rhinos, plain zebras, cape buffaloes

Wild life safari in Aberdare National park

The Park inhabits a big number of big game, like lion, leopards, African elephant, giant forest hog, bushbuck, black rhino, giraffe, buffalo, stripped jackals, duikers, water buck, eland, crocodiles and many more.  The thick tropical rainforest hosts primates like Sykes, olive baboons, colobus monkeys among others. Some of the rare species available include golden cat, the bongo antelope, serval cats, and wild dogs.

Bird watching in Aberdare National park

Bird watching in Aberdare national park, is most ideal; be sure to see over 250 species of different birds like sparry hawks, eagles, sunbirds, plovers, Aberdare cisticola, goshawks, deckens hornbill, peacock and many others. Some of the Bird Spices include:

Abyssinian thrush: This is a passerine bird that has its upper body parts in dark brownish grey that becomes richer brown over the forehead crown, lores and ear coverts. This bird has its under parts in a yellowish on the side and white below. The tail feathers are black while beaks are of a bright red color and their legs are yellow. This bird has a body length of 20-24cm and weighs 49-87g for the nominate race while the other 52-60g. these birds feed on insects, like beetles, months, caterpillars, grasshoppers, mantis.

Arrow marked babbler: This bird has brownish grey on the upper body parts but the underside is lighter with white tips on the throat, neck and head feathers. It has a bright red iris and a bright yellow or orange inner ring. This bird has black bill and legs. The arrow marked babbler has a body length of 22-25cm and weighs between 56-85g. This bird mainly feeds on termites, ants, bush crickets and grasshoppers.

Shining sunbird: This bird has a brilliant metallic green upperpart, and throat, the wings and the tail are of a dep blue black color while thee chest is marked by a bright red band with a narrow metallic blue line. It has a body length of 13cm with the male weighing 9.5-11.5g and females 7-11g. they a voice call with a warbling sequence of a fast ch ch ch ch that comes after a series of attenuated chee chee chhee voice calls.

Mountain Climbing at Satima peak in Aberdare National park

Satima peak offers great sightseeing opportunities. This activity chains views of the great rift valley to the west with the amazing horizon view of Mount Kenya. Observe the surrounding lake Naivasha, Mt Kenya and Mt Kirimanjaro, lake Nakuru and the Daiga hills on a clear day while at the horizon. Satima peak is about 4001meters high and it can take about 2-3hours of hike. A morning trek to the top of Satima peak would be the most ideal.

Trout fishing in Aberdare National park

This is also another popular activity in the moorland`s in the ice-cold Guru Karuru and Chania Rivers within the park.

Other attractions worth visiting include the elephant hill, marked with several trails of the African elephant, the Twin hills, Table Mountains and the beautiful Thomson falls

Activities in lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

Nakuru national park Kenya has numerous activities and these include birding, nature walks and game drives.

Game drives in lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

Game drives in Nakuru national park are a thrilling encounter as you will be in a prime position to see some of the finest African mammals which include warthogs, baboons, eastern black and white southern rhinos, plain zebras, cape buffaloes

Birding in lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

Birding in Nakuru national park is a birder’s frenzy given its array of bird species that habituate in this national park. A birders trip to Nakuru national park should culminate into a sight of bird species like Abyssinian thrush, crab plover, brimstone canary, arrow marked babbler, grey crowned crane, black winged lapwing, bateleur, Kenya rufous sparrow, hildebrandt’s starling, eastern imperial eagle, sooty falcon, schalow’s wheatear, shining sunbird, ruppell’s vulture, montane white eye, speke’s weaver, great spotted.

Nature walks in lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

Nature walks in Nakuru national park will puts you in a prime spot to sight many of the numerous bird species and mammals that call this destination home such as Abyssinian thrush, crab plover, brimstone canary, arrow marked babbler, grey crowned crane, black winged lapwing, bateleur, Kenya rufous sparrow, hildebrandt’s starling, eastern imperial eagle.

Accessibility to Lake Nakuru National Park

The park opens at 7am. For those traveling from Nairobi, use the Naironi-Nakuru highway, drive slow and enjoy the scenery of the great Rift valley along the way! From Nairobi, it is approximately a 30-minute drive to a picturesque overlook at 7200 feet (2200 meters) above sea level and from here you can get a spectacular view of the volcanoes Suswa and Longonot. You can have stopovers along the way and buy souvenirs from craft shops. Seeing the entire park could take you a full day, so plan to arrive around 9am unless you have more than a day in the area. It might take you few minutes to get your ticket and the vehicle checked.

The park has clear roads and most parts of the park can even be accessible by 2-wheel-drive vehicles. However, less-traveled parts and most viewpoint hills will require 4-wheel-drive. The park has three gates; the Main Gate and Lanet Gate that link the park with the Nairobi-Nakuru highway and the less-used Nderit Gate. For those who wish to fly, It’s about a 25-minute flight from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi to the Naishi airstrip inside the park.

Where to Stay Around Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge in Lake Nakuru National park Kenya

Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is a 4* settled along the Lion Hill plateau overlooking the enormous flamingo pink rimmed Lake Nakuru in Kenya. Its site offers panoramic views of the lake and wildlife of the pretty Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. Adjacent to the lodge is the Menengai Crater, Hyrax Hill and Museum for a vision into this area’s incredible history.

Flamingo Hill Tented Camp in Lake Nakuru National Park-Kenya

Flamingo Hill is a 4.5* tented camp and the first in Lake Nakuru National Park-Kenya. Visitors are welcomed with a glass of juice to refresh after the long journey, before being ushered to one of 25 tented camps.

Kivu Resort Near Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

Accommodation includes African themed guest rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Kivu Resort caters for individuals, families, groups, customized business meetings and holidays, conferences, team building and social functions.

Lake Nakuru Flamingo Lodge in Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

Lake Nakuru Flamingo Lodge is located off the Nakuru-Nairobi highway, 140km from Nairobi and 10km from Nakuru. Settled within the grounds of the notorious Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya, Lake Nakuru Lodge appears like a tiny village, with separate cottages built from stone and wood, all surrounded by lush foliage and tropical gardens.

Lakira Camp in Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

Lakira Camp Nakuru is discreetly tucked away amidst the acacias that border it, there are six, superbly luxurious tents offering the traveler a rich and immensely satisfying experience of the African bush. All tents have en suite bathrooms with flush toilets and hot and cold running water.