Lake nakuru national park

Lake nakuru national park

Lake Nakuru national park is located in western Kenya 170 kilometers from Nairobi, Nakuru national park lies on the floor of the greater rift valley covering an area of 170 kilometers. The park is covered by woodlands, grassland, acacia forests and part of the covered is covered by Lake Nakuru. Lake Nakuru is a soda lake situated in the south region of the park, Lake Nakuru is a great exciting attraction in the park as it is where you get to spot many pelicans and flamingoes.

Lake Nakuru national park hosts a great ecological system consisting of Lake Nakuru, wildlife and animals, the park is known for hosting a big population of birds with pelicans and flamingoes as the most notable species. Lake Nakuru national park is a home to over 450 bird species such as pink colored lesser and greater flamingoes, pelican,  grey wren-warbler, black-winged stilt, nyanza swift, , D’Arnaud’s barbet, bronze sunbird, jackson’s widowbird,  grey-crested helmet-strike, Madagascar pond-heron, black-necked grebe, gull-billed tern and many more.

Lake Nakuru national park is a home to many animals which live in large numbers around the shores of Lake Nakuru and in the short savannah grasslands, these animals include waterbucks, bat eared foxes, lions, buffaloes, impalas, rock hyraxes, golden cats, spotted hyenas, hippopotamuses, white rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffes and many more. Lake Nakuru national park also hosts primates in its regions dominated by acacia trees such as colobus monkeys, baboons and many more, the park consists of designated area where you get to enjoy beautiful views of the park and its wildlife. These sites include out of Africa picnic site situated in the southwestern shores of Lake Nakuru, lion hill and baboon cliffs where you get to view many baboons.

Among the beautiful features in the park there is Makalia falls, Makalia falls are found in the southern part of the park falling with 10 meters from a sheer cliff and forming a plunge pool of water.

Nakuru national park named after Lake Nakuru which was initially started as a bird viewing area for bird viewing and protecting a million of bird species which lived on the shores of Lake Nakuru, in 1961 the area was upgraded and declared a conservation area. The conservation area thrilled and in 1964 its boundaries were extended to Lake Nakuru and in 1968 it was declared a national park.

Tourist activities at Lake Nakuru national park

Lake Nakuru national park offers many amazing activities for entertainment and best experience upon your visit in the park, these activities include

Game viewing

Lake Nakuru national park is a home to a reasonable population of animals spotted while on game viewing safari in the park, game viewing in the park is a very breathtaking experience which involves driving through the park. On game viewing experience in  Nakuru national park many animals are easily spotted in the savannah field of the park and on the shores of  Nakuru, animals like Rothschild’s giraffe, hippopotamus, zebras, buffaloes, white rhino, lions,  hyena, cheetah, leopard and black rhino and many more. Game viewing experiences in  Nakuru national park are done in shifts that is morning game viewing, afternoon game viewing and whole day, not matter the shift you chose you are sure of enjoying views of animals. 

Bird watching

Lake Nakuru national park is a great birding paradise hosting over 500 recorded bird species, the park hosts large flocks of pelicans and pink colored flamingoes which make it a bird watching paradise.  Nakuru is the best bird watching spot in the park and on this experience you get to spot many bird species such as 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, grey crowned crane, grey-headed woodpecker, great snipe, greater spotted eagle, grey-crested helmet-shrike, Hildebrandt’s starling, Kenya rufous sparrow, lappet-faced vulture, lesser flamingo, lesser kestrel, long-tailed widowbird, maccoa duck, montane white-eye, northern Puffback, pallid harrier, red-capped lark, rufous-throated wryneck, Ruppell’s vulture, Ruppell’s robin-chat, shallow’s wheatear, shining sunbird, slender-billed greenbul, sooty falcon, Speke’s weaver, western reef heron, White-fronted bee-eater, White-headed vulture and many more

Among the bird species sighted in lake Nakuru national park endemic bird species only found in Kenya, near endemic species and migratory bird species which migrate to the lake Nakuru national park in the months off November, December, January, February, March to April.

Camping

Lake Nakuru national park is a very adventurous national park offering the best of camping experience in Kenya, the park has many camping sites where camping takes place and they include Nakuru tented camp, Mbweha camp, flamingo hill tented camp, Lakira camp, rhino campsite, Makalia falls campsite and many more. While camping in  Nakuru national park you get to encounter view many attractions found in the park like Makalia falls, the pink flamingoes and many more.

Photography

 Nakuru national park has some of the most scenic views in Kenya which provide amazing scenery for pictures best for photography, there is no amazing sight to capture with the lens of your camera like a lake crowded with pink flamingoes and pelicans.

When to visit Nakuru national park

Lake Nakuru national park is open to receive tourists on a safari throughout the year, because the park is fenced it means the animals in the park are easily seen throughout the year while on game viewing experience. As all tourists try to maximize on the best experience of their safari, the best time to go to lake Nakuru national park for a safari is in the dry period, dry period in the park is received from July to

Accommodation in Lake Nakuru national park

Accommodation in Lake Nakuru national park is offered by many lodges and campsites which are found in and around the park, comfortable accommodation in the park is got from Naishi guest house, back packers, Makalia campsite, acacia picnic site, Lake Nakuru lodge, reedbuck campsite, Kambi Nyati campsite, sarova lion hill lodge, Chui campsite, soysambu campsite and many more. Most of the accommodation facilities especially campsites are owned and operated by Kenya wildlife service.