Lake Nakuru National Park

Details

Details of Lake Nakuru National Park

An ornithological paradise with over 450 bird species. The park, covering around 188sq km lies on the floor of the Great Rift Valley in Nakuru District of the Rift Valley Province.

Lake Nakuru

The fabulous pink flamingoes are over 1.5 million in number. In this park lie the shimmering waters of Lake Nakuru which is packed with pink flamingoes. The flamingoes, both the greater and lesser, gather at the lake shoes to extract blue-green algae for food, forming pink clouds from far and are the main attraction in the park.

Flamingos of lake Nakuru

Kenya’s first Rhino sanctuary

The park is surrounded by wooden and bushy grasslands, a splendor of a grey-green forest of Euphorbia Candelabrum, and offers sanctuary to some of the world's most endangered creatures, like the white and the black rhino. Kenya’s first rhino sanctuary is established in this park since the rhino became an endangered species. The park hosts a large population of them.

Rhinos of lake Nakuru

Wildlife viewing

The park supports a wide ecological diversity with flamingoes (greater and lesser) and other water birds being the major attractions of the area. The ecosystem provides for about 56 different species of mammals, including the white rhino and buffaloes, and a variety of terrestrial birds numbering nearly 450 species.

Wildlife such as the rock hyrax, Colobus monkey, hippo, leopard, lion, black and white rhino, waterbuck, striped hyena, the golden cat, Thomson’s and Grant gazelle, Rothschild’s giraffe live here. One of the unique facts about Lake Nakuru National Park is, that it is compact and has a high game density. Therefore it is simple to encounter wildlife during the safari trail; you are very likely to see a leopard, and lions are easy to come across.

Lake Nakuru Gazelle

Lake Nakuru Lion

Short Overview

In this park lie the shimmering waters of Lake Nakuru which is packed with pink flamingoes.


Lake Nakuru National Park is also the first rhino sanctuary in Kenya, and it was established right after the rhinos became an endangered species. The park hosts a large population of them.

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Kenya is widely considered to be one of the most accessible safari destinations in the world. With Nairobi International Airport located within driving distance of the nearest national park, you can land in the morning and be on safari by the afternoon.
The name of both a large soda lake and the national park that surrounds it, Lake Nakuru has become synonymous with vast flocks of brightly coloured flamingos with thousands and sometimes millions of the iconic birds calling the lake's shores home. The park is also famous for its rhinoceros sanctuary, in which 70 white rhinoceros and 25 critically endangered black rhinoceros can be seen. This concentration is one of the largest in Kenya, and makes the park the ideal place to visit if you are eager to see these beautiful creatures in the wild. Lake Nakuru is often combined with visits to its neighbouring lakes, Lake Bogoria and Lake Naivasha. While not within the park boundaries, both lakes offer distinct experiences that are worth considering.