Geographical Location: The Great Rift Valley - A landscape sculpted by God!
Every flamingo in the world seems to be here. A spectacular ocean of pink surrounded by forest and plains that are home to lion, rhino, leopard and large herds of waterbuck.
Lake Nakuru is a very shallow alkaline lake 62km2 in extent. It is set in a picturesque landscape of surrounding woodland and grassland next to Nakuru town. The landscape includes areas of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides covered with a Euphorbia forest on the eastern perimeter.
Games drive in Lake Nakuru. Stay at Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge
The lake catchment is bounded by Menengai Crater to the north, the Bahati Hills to the north east, the Lion Hill ranges to the east, Eburu Crater to the south and the Mau Escarpment to the west. Three major rivers, the Njoro, Makalia and Enderit drain into the lake, together with treated water from the town’s sewage works and the outflow from several springs along the shore.
Lake Nakuru was first gazetted as a bird sanctuary in 1960 and upgraded to National Park status in 1968. A northern extension was added to the park in 1974 and the lake was designated as a Ramsar site in 1990. The foundation of the parks food chain is the cyanophyte spirulina platensis which can support huge numbers of lesser flamingo.
Location: Central Kenya, 140 km north-west of Nairobi, in Nakuru district of the Rift Valley Province.
Size: it covers an area of 188km2
Climate: Ranges from cold, hot and humid, hot and dry. Annual rainfall is 965mm
Getting there: Two hour drive from Nairobi
