Lake Nakuru National Park is probably one of the best maintained in Kenya. We arrived here after few days in Maasai Mara and appreciated the clean roads, clear signs and dedicated picnic areas. Don’t be alarmed by the armed rangers patrolling the park all day long, they protect the rhinos living in the park.
The salty lake is also known for the big flamingo community flocking here for part of the year and for the other hundreds of birds you can easily spot around.
It’s worth driving all the way to Lake Nakuru National Park to complement your Maasai Mara safari as you can see different animals and landscapes. Lake Nakuru is actually a former volcano crater, which makes for spectacular scenery, especially in the early morning or late afternoon, when the sunlight beams through the dense acacia trees.
We would recommend to include Lake Nakuru National Park in your itinerary in combination with other parks. However, we wouldn’t stay more than two days as the park is small and it can be covered with two long game drives.
Endangered Rhinos
There are both white and black rhinos in Lake Nakuru National Park, and you will most probably be lucky to see at least one or the other, if not both. Although they are not indigenous to the area, they were brought there for protection, since Lake Nakuru is the only completely fenced national park in Kenya. This is supposed to keep out poachers, but some rare cases of kills are sadly still reported. Which is why you will find armed rangers patrolling the park at all times, particularly around the rhinos.
We were lucky enough to have spotted a black rhino in Maasai Mara, and at Lake Nakuru we were privileged to see a family of three white rhinos happily grazing. With rhino populations threatened by poaching, it was truly a memorable encounter to see them in the wild.
True fact: The name of White Rhinos does not have anything to do with their colour, but with the shape of their mouths. They were supposedly called “wide rhinos” initially, which was later misunderstood for white. On the other hand, black rhinos have a more narrow, pointed mouth.
Rothschild Giraffes
Another animal you can spot in Lake Nakuru National Park that you won’t find in many other places is the Rothschild giraffe. They were also brought to Lake Nakuru in order to help save the species from near extinction. In fact, this is one of the most vulnerable subspecies of giraffe, with less than 2,000 left in the wild, with 609 of them living in Kenya.
True fact: There are 4 species and 9 subspecies of giraffes, which can be distinguished by their size, colour and pattern.
Flamingos Lagoon
Lake Nakuru was once known as the pink lake, due to the large population of around 2 million pink flamingos that resided in the lake. Nowadays, many of them have flown to other nearby lakes, as the lake level rose with fresh water from floods and salinity dropped, which decimated the plankton flamingos feed on. However, there are still quite a few flamingos on the shores which make for great birdwatching.
Other wildlife you can see at Lake Nakuru National Park
Since it’s a rather small park, (around 180 sq. km.), it’s very easy to spot most of the wildlife the park hosts. In fact, aside from elephants, you’ll be able to see most animals, like plenty of buffalos, zebras, gazelles, olive baboons, monkeys, waterbucks and hyenas. If you’re lucky, you can even spot cheetahs, lions and leopards.
If you like birdwatching, the shores of Lake Nakuru are filled not just with flamingos, but also with herons, pelicans, cormorants, kingfishers, ibis, storks, as well as ostriches.
Makalia Waterfall
Another interesting sight, though not animal related, is the Makalia waterfall, which is nearby a picnic area. Along with the lake banks, this is one of the spots you can actually get out of your safari vehicle and stretch your legs. Some say you can even swim in the waters of the waterfall lake, but we wouldn’t advise it, since the water seemed quite dirty. But it’s a nice spot for a break along your safari route.
Where to stay in Lake Nakuru National Park
We stayed at Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge and we highly recommend this place, especially if you are planning to spend more than a day in the park. Perched high on a hill overlook the park and the lake, the sprawling views are breath-taking, especially as sunrise. Make sure you give yourself some time to enjoy the infinity pool overlooking the lake. The rooms are spacious and comfy, and have all the amenities you need. The food is also very good and caters to all tastes, though don’t expect too much variety.
