Super User 13 September 2023

Best Travel Guide To Lake Nakuru National Park Wildlife in Kenya

Famous for its rhinoceros sanctuary, Lake Nakuru National Park is an ideal place to visit in Kenya. The Park is an excellent spot for wildlife spotting and is home to many water-loving animals like hippos and many more. Established in 1961, Lake Nakuru Park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Scenic Lake Nakuru National Park is Kenya’s most popular National Park. Centered on a large, shallow Lake that supports great birdlife, including big flocks of pelicans and flamingos, the Park is known for its black and white rhinos and big cats.

About Lake Nakuru National Park:

Lake Nakuru National Park, in Central Kenya, is famous for its huge flocks of pink flamingos. The birds throng on Lake Nakuru itself, one of the Rift Valley soda Lakes that covers almost a third of the Park's area.

The Park was established in 1961, and more than 450 species of birds have been recorded here, as well as a rich diversity of other wildlife. Lions, leopards, warthogs, waterbucks, pythons, and white rhinos are just some of the animals you might see, and the landscapes range from sweeping grasslands bordering the lake to rocky cliffs and woodland.

The Park also protects the largest euphorbia candelabrum forest in Africa. These tall, branching succulents are endemic to the region and provide a bold textural element to the arid landscapes.

Rift Valley escarpments, woodlands, and vast grasslands surround the Lake. The Park is ideal for bird watching, camping, and game drives.

The number of flamingos has been decreasing recently, perhaps due to too much pollution from industries nearby that dump waste into the waters. Usually, the Lake recedes during the dry season and floods during the wet season

Lake Nakuru National Park Location:

Lake Nakuru is a soda Lake lying in the great East Africa Rift Valley of the Eastern arm of the great African Rift Valley located in Nakuru town in Central Kenya.

Lake Nakuru National Park Scenery:

The scenery of Lake Nakuru is breathtaking. The Rift Valley escarpment, dotted with euphorbia trees, rises up from the lakeshore. Heavy mist sometimes shrouds the lake and surrounding yellow fever trees in the early morning.

Lake Nakuru National Park Wildlife:

Lake Nakuru National Park offers easy wildlife viewing of most big safari animals except elephants. Black and white rhinos were reintroduced in the 1990s and have been bred to healthy populations. White rhinos are usually easy to see on the lakeshore. Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo, and hippo are numerous as well. Lucky visitors might see lions, which occasionally climb trees. Leopards are present, but not often encountered.

The park has over 25 black rhinos one of the largest concentrations in the country, plus over 70 white rhinos introduced over the 1990’s. There are also several Rothschild's giraffes, again relocated for safety from western Kenya beginning in 1977. Waterbucks are also very common.

The park harbors many predators such as lions, cheetahs and leopards, warthogs, the latter being seen much more frequently in recent times. The park also has large-sized pythons that inhabit the dense woodlands

Lake Nakuru National Park Birding:

There are plenty of bird species for viewing that inhabit areas surrounding the Lake, such as African fish eagle, Goliath heron, Hamerkop, pied kingfisher pelicans, and cormorants among others.

Lake Nakuru National Park Wildlife Highlights:

The Park is an important stronghold for the rare Rothschild's giraffe. It was introduced to the Park in the 1980s and has now become locally common. Aside from the widespread vervet monkey and olive baboon, the beautiful black-and-white colobus monkey can sometimes be found in the acacia forest. A highlight, if you’re lucky enough, is the tree-climbing lions. Lake Nakuru is the best place in Kenya to see them.

Best Time to Visit Lake Nakuru National Park:

Lake Nakuru National Park can be visited throughout the year, but wildlife viewing might be more difficult in April and May, which are the wettest months. At this time, rain might interfere with your game drives and the grass tends to be very high, making animal spotting more difficult.

Where to Stay In Lake Nakuru National Park:

While most travelers visit Lake Nakuru on part of an organized safari that usually includes other parks as well, if you want to visit on your own, there are campgrounds on the lake's shores. There are also a few lodges if you want to stay in more style. One option is Lake Nakuru Lodge, which is inside the boundaries of the national park. It is home to a mix of suites and rooms in a farmhouse and has great views of the lake from its restaurant.

Lake Nakuru National Park Access:

The park is 1 hour and a half drive from Nairobi City, the Capital of Kenya; air flights can be used as well.

Arrange and Book with ULTIMATE WILD SAFARIS for the Lake Nakuru National Park safari tour in central Kenya.

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