Lake Nakuru National Park “Birder’s Paradise”: Sitting on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru National Park is among the finest safari destinations and birders haven in Kenya. This beautiful park is situated in the Kenya’s Rift Valley, south of the Nakuru Town and 98.5 miles north of Nairobi.
Lake Nakuru National Park is among the best destinations to visit in Kenya for birding excursions and it is listed among the Important Birding Areas in the Country, the park is popular for hosting huge flocks of flamingoes (lesser and greater flamingoes) and over 450 bird species. The park was also recognized as a wetland site of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1990 and it was awarded a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
Lake Nakuru National Park covers around 188 square kilometers (around 73 square kilometers) comprising on a waterfall, rocky escarpments, pockets of acacia forest and Lake Nakuru on the floor of the Great Rift Valley.
History of Lake Nakuru National Park
In 1957, Lake Nakuru National Park was recognized as a conservation area and in 1961 it was declared a bird sanctuary before it was officially declared a national park in 1968. In 1977, the endangered Rothschild’s giraffes were introduced in the park from Western Kenya as one of the ways to protect them.
In 1984, the park was declared and designated as the first rhino sanctuary in Kenya.
Lake Nakuru National Park Wildlife
Lake Nakuru Park is a relatively small park, regardless of its small size. It is home to a variety of wildlife including a high number of black and white rhinos, big herds of buffaloes, endangered Rothschild’s giraffe, waterbuck and eland.
Rhinos in Lake Nakuru National Park are about 100 – 150 individuals with 80 percent of them being white rhinos and 20 percent black rhinos.
Other animals found in the park include lions, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, buffaloes, hyenas and zebras.
Lake Nakuru National Park Birdlife
Lake Nakuru National Park is listed among the best birding destinations in Kenya and Africa as well with over 450 bird species including a record of 1,496,000 waterbirds and five globally threatened species.
Birds found in Lake Nakuru include Abyssinian thrush, Arrow-marked babbler, Bateleur, Black-tailed godwit, Black-winged lapwing, Brimstone canary, Brown-backed scrub robin, Crab-plover, Eastern imperial eagle, European roller, Great snipe, Greater spotted eagle, Grey crowned crane, Grey-crested helmet-shrike, Grey-headed woodpecker, Hildebrandt’s starling, Kenya rufous sparrow, Lappet-faced vulture, Lesser flamingo, Lesser kestrel, Long-crested eagle, Long-tailed widowbird, Maccoa duck, Montane white-eye, Northern puffback, Pallid harrier, Red-capped lark, Rufous-necked wryneck, Rüppell’s robin-chat, Rüppell’s vulture, Schalow’s wheatear, Shining sunbird, Slender-billed greenbul, Sooty falcon, Speke’s weaver, Verreaux’s eagle, Western reef heron, White-fronted bee-eater, White-headed vulture among others.
Kenya Safari Activities to do in Lake Nakuru National Park
Game viewing
Lake Nakuru Park is a great site for game viewing on a Kenya safari, the park offers abundance of wildlife and stunning views of Kenya’s wilderness. Game drives are done as morning and afternoon game drives and during this thrilling adventure, you will enjoy excellent sightings of various wildlife including zebras, cheetahs, lions, buffaloes and rhinos among others.
Bird watching
Lake Nakuru National Park is a great birding destination offering some of the best birding experiences in the country, the park is home to a huge population of beautiful birds including huge flocks of pink flamingoes on the shores of Lake Nakuru.
Lake Nakuru is home to over 450 bird species which you will spot during the birding experience lead by an experience birder, some of the birds to lookout for include Brown-backed scrub robin, Crab-plover, Eastern imperial eagle, European roller, Great snipe, Greater spotted eagle, Grey crowned crane, Grey-crested helmet-shrike, Grey-headed woodpecker, Hildebrandt’s starling, Kenya rufous sparrow, Lappet-faced vulture, Lesser flamingo, Lesser kestrel, Long-crested eagle, Long-tailed widowbird, Maccoa duck, Montane white-eye, Northern puffback, Pallid harrier, Red-capped lark, Rufous-necked wryneck, Rüppell’s robin-chat, Rüppell’s vulture, Schalow’s wheatear, Shining sunbird, Slender-billed greenbul, Sooty falcon, Speke’s weaver and Verreaux’s eagle among others.
Guided Nature walks
Guided nature walks is the best way to explore the spectacular wilderness of the park, this amazing activity offers visitors a chance to get close encounter with wildlife in the park and experience the sights and sounds.
With your armed ranger, you will immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the park and spot various species of wildlife such as giraffes, zebras, gazelles and take a walk along the shores of Lake Nakuru.
Camping
Camping is another amazing Kenya safari activity to do in Lake Nakuru, sleeping under the sky in the wild offers visitors a chance to experience nature and wild first hand. The park has seven operating camping sites spread in the Northern and Southern parts of the park including Enjoro Campsite, Nakuru Tented Camp. Mbweha Camp, Flamingo Hill Tented Camp, Lakira Camp and Makalia falls campsite.
Getting There and Around
Lake Nakuru National Park is situated approximately 166 kilometers northwest of Nairobi which is a drive of about 2-3 hours of drive along the main A104, from Nakuru Town to the entrance of the park is approximately 4 kilometers. From Masai Mara National Reserve, it is a journey of approximately 5 hours with a combination of tarmacked and gravel roads.
By flying, there are domestic/chartered flights from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Naishi Airstrip situated at the end of Lake Nakuru National Park which only takes half an hour of flight.
Note: This route does not operate regularly which is why it is important to check the schedules.
Best Time to Visit
Lake Nakuru can be visited all-year round, however avoid the main April – May wet season. The best time to visit the park is during the dry season, June to February. These months are the great time to visit because of the thin vegetation.
Where to stay
There are several accommodation options in Lake Nakuru National Park ranging from luxury, midrange to budget, these accommodations include
- Lake Nakuru Lodge
- Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge
- Ziwa Bush Lodge
- Lake Nakuru Flamingo Lodge
- Ole – Ken Hotel
- Sarova Woodlads Hote & Spa
- Hotel Bison
- Sleepway Cottages
