Lake Nakuru National Park Activities and Attractions

Lake Nakuru national park is a famous protected Bird sanctuary situated in Central Kenya around Lake Nakuru near Nakuru town. Lake Nakuru National Park lies approximately 45km2 on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by wooded and bushy grassland and it is one of the only two fully fenced national parks besides Aberdare National Park.

Lake Nakuru National park was the first national rhino sanctuary hosting over 100 black and white rhinoceros in Africa, Lake Nakuru National park is also well known for its thousands and sometimes millions of Pink Flamingos nesting along the shores of a shallow soda lake called Lake Nakuru which is famously known as a Pink Lake since its surface is hardly recognized due to the vast number of Pink flamingos it hosts because this Alkaline lake contains abundant Algae which flamingos feed on hence making Lake Nakuru National Park a unique classic park worth visiting.

How to access Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru National park can be easily accessed by both road and Air transport depending on the choice of the tourist as well as routes.

By Air;

There is no direct connection from Amboseli airport (ASV) to Lake Nakuru National Park however tourists on a Kenyan safari can fly to Mara North and then drive by road to Lake Nakuru National Park which takes approximately 5 hours via C13 and C57. There is also another Alternative of flying to Ol Seki and driving to Lake Nakuru National park taking approximately 4 hours via C12 and C57.

Lake Nakuru National Park can as well be accessed for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by using a domestic flight to Naishi Airstrip which is found on the southern end of Lake Nakuru National park. This offers a spectacular view of the famous pink lake known as Lake Nakuru.

By Road;

From Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, you can easily access the park on road via A104 taking approximately 3 hours. This is more favorable since most international flights land in Nairobi at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Main Gates are found in Lake Nakuru National Park.

Just like any other park, Lake Nakuru National park has gates that act as points of entry and exit and it has three gates which give tourists access to the park each gate is used depending on the routes/roads used to the park however they have standard time set whether entering of exiting the park. Below are the gates namely;

Main Gate

This is the most significant and commonly used point of entry and exit in Lake Nakuru National park which is 4km from Nakuru town in the North West. Since it’s the main gate, this is where the Kenya Wildlife Offices are situated and this is where payment of the park fees is cleared in order to access all the park services using the ticket tourists receive after paying the park fees hence it is the busiest gate.

Lanet Gate

This is the second most commonly used point of entry and exit in Lake Nakuru National Park. This gate can be easily accessed from the main Nairobi Nakuru road, Lanet gate is located on the northeastern shores of Lake Nakuru.

Nderit Gate

This is the third gate of Lake Nakuru National park and it is the less used gate compared to other gates due to the long distance from the city center however it is favorable to tourists who want to access Lake Nakuru National park from Maasai Mara or Lake Elmentaita.

The Park Entrance Fee

In order to acquire a ticket that permits you access to the park, one has to pay the park entrance fees which are only valid for 24 hours per person per day which they are categorized according to nationality status and the fee can be paid in dollars or Kenyan shillings.

Category                                                                    Fees

                                                                   Adult                   Child

Citizens                                                     860Kshs              215Kshs

Residents                                                 860Kshs              215Kshs

Non-Residents                                        60USD                 35USD

Attractions in Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru National Park is branded as A Beautiful wildlife haven because of the colorful deep blue alkaline lake which has a magnificent pink view of the vast number of Flamingos it hosts, the serene landscapes, and Wildlife. Below are the attractions found in Lake Nakuru National park.

Flamingos

Flamingos are the major and most famous attractions of Lake Nakuru National park. The abundance of blue-green Algae on Lake Nakuru has led to an increase of millions of flamingo nesting around the shores of Lake Nakuru which later led to the branding of Lake Nakuru as a pink lake. There are two flamingos species found on Lake Nakuru which consist of the lesser flamingos distinguished by their deep red carmine bill as well pink plumage and the greater flamingos have a bill and a black tip. This is a lovely magical experience as you see these beautiful bright pink birds with stilt-like legs and S-shaped graceful necks.

Bird species

Besides flamingos, Lake Nakuru National park is known as a birding spot that hosts a variety of other different terrestrial bird species such as Pied Kingfisher, Goliath Heron, Hammerkop, African Kingfisher, Great White Pelican, Great Blue-eared starling, and many more common notable bird species.

Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru itself is a major touristic attraction found in west-central Kenya. It is one of the saline lakes in the Great Rift Valley which is worth visiting especially by the enthusiastic birders since it has abundant blue-green algae which attracts a big number of Flamingos and other different bird species and hosts a few water animals like Hippos, Waterbucks and Impalas.

Wildlife

Lake Nakuru National park is blessed with a variety of wildlife and these include four notable members of the African big 5 such as lions, leopards, Rhinos and Buffaloes, water animals, land mammals, and a few reptiles mainly pythons. Since Lake Nakuru national park was the first national rhino sanctuary, it consists of 70 white rhinos and 25 eastern black rhinos which are members of the African big 5.

Makalia Waterfalls

Lake Nakuru is naturally a beautiful place because of the Makalia falls which have a large dive water pool below it where the falls pour from a cliff these falls are one of the iconic natural features of Lake Nakuru national park. This is an important source of drinking water for a few animals like Zebras, gazelles, and buffaloes.

Baboon Cliffs

This is one of the clear unmatchable viewpoints of flamingos on Lake Nakuru, other bird species, baboons, and the beautiful unusual greenery covered with euphorbia, tall cactus trees, and acacia woodland which can be viewed perfectly from above.

Scenery and Landscape

Lake Nakuru national park is indeed a colorful wonderland with beautiful scenery and stunning landscape including rocky cliffs. The flora and fauna in this park are admirably a true definition of beauty, peace, and love which is symbolized by the bright pink flamingos on Lake Nakuru and so many other attractions.

Hyrax Hill Museum

This was declared a national monument in 1945 and publicly opened in 1965 since it is a great archeological site that portrays the lifestyle of the prehistorical people. It can be accessed from Nakuru town or the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

Activities in Lake Nakuru National Park

Bird watching

Birding is an exceptional adventure while in Lake Nakuru National park because this park is among the few places that host an ideal vast number of flamingos which are outstanding key attractions as well as a variety of different water bird species on the shores of Lake Nakuru.

Game Viewing

Game viewing in this park is only done on a safari vehicle since no one is allowed to view animals on foot or bike. Game viewing is a better way of exploring all the wildlife species found in this park which includes the four members of the African big 5 and many interesting wild animals.

Hiking

Despite the fact that Lake Nakuru National park is not big, it has hiking points that are perfect game viewing points, and these include; the baboon cliff, lion hill viewpoint, and Makalia cliff which offers an amazing experience of the Makalia falls.

Picnic

Lake Nakuru National park is a perfect place for picnics since it has a picnic site on the southwestern shores of Lake Nakuru which is a better way of enjoying an outdoor meal with an interesting view of wildlife and the bright pink flamingos.

Camping 

For nature lovers, Lake Nakuru national park consists of several comfortable and safe campsites with a beautiful view in both the Northern and southern parts of the park. 

When to visit Lake Nakuru National Park

The best time to explore Lake Nakuru national park is during the wetter summer months like November to April for an awesome bird-watching experience however game viewing is done throughout the year.

Accommodations in Lake Nakuru National park

There are a lot of options to choose from since some tourists can opt for camping. There are so many hotels though they are categorized according to one’s budget namely;

Budget accommodation:

Marlin Guest Resort, Little Nile Studio homestays Nakuru, Ziwa Bush Lodge, Racho Valentia Home stays, Kambi Amani, Grand Winston Hotel

Mid-range accommodation:

Sarova Woodlands Hotel and spa, Lake Nakuru Lodge, Jarika county lodge, Eagle palace hotel, Sleep way cottages.

Luxury accommodation:

Sarova Lion Hill Game, Lake Nakuru Sopa lodge, The Cliff Nakuru Hotel.