Kenya’s Premier Park
Lake Nakuru National Park
Kenya’s Rift Valley Fresh Water Lake
Overview
Lying at the floor of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru National Park is another popular safari park in Kenya, and with good reason. Surrounded by wooded and bushy grassland, lies the beautiful Lake; at times from a distance Lake Nakuru appears covered in a thin, bright pink blanket of flamingoes; take note that the park has experienced dramatically fluctuating water levels in recent years. This can in turn affect the flamingo populations, leading to them migrating to the nearby Lake Lake Bogoria in search of food supply.
The park is a fantastic place to see rhinos and boasts an abundance of additional wildlife and spectacular landscapes. From black and white rhinos, tree climbing lions, hippos, and leopards sightings are possible. Discover scenic acacia woodlands, savannah grasslands and rocky escarpments around a shallow, alkaline lake.
Landscape & Scenery
The richness of wildlife provides incredible photographic opportunities from captivating landscapes to moving wildlife snapshots.
Lake Nakuru National Park is truly breathtaking; the acacia woodlands shelter herds of graceful impalas, hairy waterbucks and the shy bushbuck whereas the rocky outcrops provide a perfect habitat for the rock hyrax. Discover conspicuous hills that are ready land marks including Enasoit hill, honeymoon hill and the lion hill ridge. About 550 different plant species dot the picturesque landscape and yellow acacia woodlands. Additionally, the park is dotted with euphorbia trees, rising up from the lakeshore. To get the best view of the park, head up to the rocky Out of Africa Lookout point – other notable points include the Baboon Cliffs; One of the popular viewpoints and offers unbeatable views out over the lake, with some fine aerial vistas. Lastly, we have the Makalia Falls, at the further southern end of the park, with great views when the rain is at it best.
Activities In Lake Nakuru
Given that the main activity in Lake Nakuru is on a guided game viewing drive, which allows you to explore the park in search of wildlife watching and birding safaris (if you’re into birds).
Additionally, there exists other great things to do in Lake Nakuru;
This cliff is an excellent viewpoint, and it overlooks the entire valley.
The cliff is a great spot for a scenic picnic and there are several picnic benches at the top. However, you should take care when you are eating since the baboons have been known to steal food.The views from Baboon Cliff are at their best in the morning, with crisp clear skies and the haze from the morning sun lighting up the panoramic view.
In the park’s south you can see moderately impressive Makalia Falls, where waters cascade through a cleft in the rock surrounded by acacia forest. If you’re staying at The Cliff, a luxury tented camp perched on the edge of the escarpment, you can also enjoy a boat excursion on the lake.
The Out of Africa viewpoint is the most impressive viewpoint in the park.
A short hike is required to reach the viewpoint, involving some steep sections up the rocky path and the trail is significantly steeper than the one that leads to Baboon Cliff.
The viewpoint was made famous by the 1985 film ‘Out of Africa’, and it derives its name from this Hollywood appearance.
Makalia Falls is a small waterfall in the southern part of Lake Nakuru National Park, and they are easily accessible via a short drive from the park’s gates.
The falls has a seasonal flow, and it can grind to a halt during the dry season. The falls has a height of around 10m, and they are fed by the Makalia River.
Although Makalia Falls is not the most dramatic waterfall in the world, it is a great spot for a light hike or an afternoon picnic.
Wildlife At Lake Nakuru National Park
Many of the big five (5) safari animals are present in Lake Nakuru National Park, except for the African elephants.
The park provides a sanctuary for black and white rhinos and good number of Rothschild’s giraffe which are relocated to this park. Present carnivores include tree climbing lions, and leopards can be spotted on the acacia trees. Other wildlife species include the spotted and stripped hyena, serval cats as well as the silver-backed and side-stripped jackal, civet, genet and mongoose. Zebras, buffalos are also present. The most visible primates are the somber olive baboons and the mysterious black-faced vervet monkey, while dignified troops of colobus monkey often prance among the trees.
Waterbuck are very common and you may also spot large sized pythons that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be seen crossing the roads or dangling from trees.
The best part is that Lake Nakuru can be visited throughout the year, with good but wildlife viewing.
Birds At Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park is a great bird watching safari destination with more than 450 species of birds including water, fish-eating, terrestrial and migratory birds to include the pelican, fish eagle, secretary bird, heron, egret, hammerkop and grebe. Catch the best views of the lake from the park’s vantage points that include Baboon Cliff, Lion Hill and Out of Africa Hill.
Great white pelican
Greater blue-eared starling
Greater flamingo
Hottentot teal
Lesser flamingos
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 (NE)
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
Being an ornithological paradise, the park is good year-round, although the best time for birdwatching begins from the months of November to March. At this time, you can also catch the arrival of migratory birds from Europe and North Africa.
Best Time To Visit Lake Nakuru National Park
Given the good wildlife viewing throughout the year, the best time to visit Lake Nakuru National Park is during the dry seasons. June to October is the long dry season, and January to March is the short dry season.
During the dry seasons, many of the smaller watering holes dry up, causing animals to gather at Lake Nakuru for water. This significantly increases your chances of wildlife sightings.
Weather & Climate At Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru’s climate is mild and temperatures tend to be consistent year-round. Daytime temperatures are pleasant in the mid to upper twenties –degrees Celsius, although it is much cooler during nighttime. Warm clothing for the early morning game drives is recommended. The general wettest months are April & May. The rest of the year is relatively dry.
Consider this the perfect time for going on a Kenya safari; the days are sunny and it’s rarely very hot. Nevertheless pack some warm clothes for the morning game drives which can be very chilly.
Conditions are sunny with the occasional shower. Temperatures climb to around 24°C/75°F in the afternoon, but the beginning and end of the day is cold with temperatures hovering around 11°C/52°F.
These months, before the rains break, are the driest and warmest in the calendar. Temperatures climb to 25°C/77°F and push higher. Be aware of the chill factor in the early morning when the temperature only crawls up to 12°C/54°F.
It’s that time of the season when we experience rainfall. Talking about abrupt short afternoon showers. We recommend that on your list of what to pack for your Kenya safari bring with you warm clothing.
see the beginning of the rains, although it is rare for March to see much rain. Expect temperatures in the afternoon to reach around 25°C/77°F.
The wettest month, but it doesn’t rain for long stretches very often.
The rains are already tapering off, but afternoon showers are still common.
How To Get To Lake Nakuru National Park
If you’ve decided that Lake Nakuru is the perfect place for your next travel adventure. This is how your safari tour looks like. Your main entry point to Kenya will most likely be (JKIA) Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, like 15kilometers southeast of the capital city Nairobi.
Lake Nakuru National Park is 155km/96mi northwest of Nairobi and 5km/3mi from Nakuru town. Nakuru is an easy destination to reach by car via a tarmac road from Nairobi along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway. The driving time is at least 3 hours.
Lake Nakuru can also be reached by road from several other parks. The distance from Masai Mara National Reserve is 235km/146mi and the driving time is about 6 hours – If you are coming up from the Maasai Mara, you can use the Nderit Gate entrance on the west side of the park.
The distance from Samburu National Reserve in the north is 300km/186mi and the drive takes about 6 hours. The driving time from Laikipia Plateau hugely depends on which reserve you are coming from but should be between 3 to 7 hours.
If you’re the type of traveler who is into flights, we have airlines & flight tickets to Lake Nakuru which you can easily book through us.\
It is also possible to fly to from Nairobi, and the flight from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Lake Nakuru to the Naishi Airstrip takes just 25 minutes.
We can also assist in booking charter flights to Lake Nakuru and other parks.
Safari Tours to Lake Nakuru National Park
Browse some of our favorite Lake Nakuru safaris & tours which promise a more intimate adventure especially for travelers longing for a more private safari experience. Maybe you’re planning your honeymoon safari in Africa or rather you just desire a more private family safari experience just know that you have plenty of options to choose from.
