Resting squarely on the floor of the Great Rift Valley and surrounded by the characteristic woody and bushy grassland, her sky mirrored lake waters extending to an expansive mass of semi-alkaline water, Lake Nakuru National Park is a ball of beautiful sights waiting to be explored. A wide ecological diversity, varied wildlife habitats, plant and animal species await the wild outdoor lovers.
The park is a uniquely rewarding game-viewing destination and a successful sanctuary for both the endangered black rhinos and white rhinos.
Being an ornithological paradise, the park hosts approximately 450 species of birds including water, fish-eating, terrestrial and migratory bird. Key species pelican, fish eagle, secretary bird, heron, egret, hamerkop, flamingoes and grebe.
Picnic and catch the best views of the lake from the park’s vantage points that include Baboon Cliff, Lion Hill and Out of Africa Hill. The Makalia waterfalls is a sight to behold. It has a modern campsite which doubles as a picnic site.
Established as Kenya’s first rhino sanctuary, the park hosts one of the largest black rhino concentrations in the country while substantial numbers of white rhino have also been introduced.
The acacia woodlands shelter herds of graceful impalas, shaggy waterbucks and the shy bushbuck. The rocky outcrops provide a perfect habitat for the rock hyrax. Present carnivores include lions and leopards. Other wildlife species include the spotted and stripped hyena, serval cats as well as the silver-backed and side-stripped jackal, civet cat, genet and mongoose. Giraffes, zebras and 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.
Conspicuous hills that are ready land marks include Enasoit Hill, Honeymoon Hill and the Lion Hill Ridge. About 550 different plant species dot the picturesque landscape and yellow acacia woodlands.
Lake flooding in 2011 has since expanded the lake considerably and upset the chemical balance that is behind its ecosystem. Due to the huge amounts of water, the alkaline levels supporting the algae that flamingoes feed on were diluted and thus the decline in their numbers.
