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Lake Nakuru

About Lake Nakuru

The Lake Nakuru is a National Park in Kenya in the provinces of Kibaha. The park was established on 01.01.1967 and covers an area of 0.188 km². The Lake Nakuru offers the possibility of self-drive safaris.

The national park is located about 160 km northwest of the capital Nairobi. With about 200,000 visitors a year, it has the second largest number of visitors after the Masai Mara and is one of the most popular parks in Kenya. The main focus of the park is the large, shallow lake, which is home to impressive birdlife, including large flocks of pelicans and flamingos. The lake was once famous for its flocks of flamingos, but since 2012 conditions have become unfavourable for the birds and most have moved to other Rift Valley lakes.

General information
Biodiversity Sighting conditions
Very high Okay
  • 50Mammals
  • 500Bird species
Discover accommodation

Official Name

Lake Nakuru

Provinces

Kibaha

Area

0.188 km2

Foundation

1967-01-01

Vegetation

No information

Habitats

Grassland savannah,Woodland

Big Five-reserves

No

Self-drive-reserve

No

Entrance gates

3

Highlights

The national park is located about 160 km northwest of the capital Nairobi. With about 200,000 visitors a year, it has the second largest number of visitors after the Masai Mara and is one of the most popular parks in Kenya. The main focus of the park is the large, shallow lake, which is home to impressive birdlife, including large flocks of pelicans and flamingos. The lake was once famous for its flocks of flamingos, but since 2012 conditions have become unfavourable for the birds and most have moved to other Rift Valley lakes.

Landscape

The main habitat of the Lake Nakuru is the Grassland savannah.

The park has unusual but beautiful vegetation and the scenery is breathtaking. Lake Nakuru National Park has a very shallow, highly alkaline lake. Heavy mist envelops the lake and surrounding yellow fever trees in the early morning. Here lies the largest Euphorbia forest in Africa and one of the largest volcanic craters in the world, the Menengai Crater.

Entrance gate
Name Location
Main North
Lanet North
Nderit East
General information
Biodiversity Sighting conditions
Very high Okay
  • 50Mammals
  • 500Bird species
The best travel time for Lake Nakuru
The best travel time

Overview
Weather and climate

Excellent Good Okay Poor
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Best tavel time

June (Beginning) - March (End)


Dry time

June (Middle) - February (End)

Climate

chilly-hot


Tavel time

March (Beginning) - May (End)

Climate

mild-hot


High season

July (Beginning) - March (End)


Low season

July (Beginning) - March (End)


Risk of Malaria

January - May

The climate in Lake Nakuru is mild. The rainy season takes place from Beginning March to End May The dry season first extended over the months from Middle June to End February inclusive. The best time to tour is Beginning June End March.

Temperatures in the park are constant all year round and pleasantly mild during the day, although it is much cooler at night. Warm clothing for early morning game drives is a necessity. The wettest months are April and May. The rest of the year is relatively dry with some rain. Despite its proximity to the equator, Lake Nakuru rarely gets hot, with daytime highs around 28°C.

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Discover the wilderness

Overview
Top animal species

The Lake Nakuru is home to 50 mammals such as Lion, Rhinoceros, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, Giraffe as well as 500 bird species, 0 reptile species, 0 fish species and 0 amphibian species. The Lake Nakuru provides Very high conditions for wildlife viewing.

Lion
Big Five

Lion

Rhinoceros
Big Five

Rhinoceros

Leopard
Big Five

Leopard

Cape Buffalo
Big Five

Cape Buffalo

Giraffe

Giraffe

Zebra

Zebra

Spotted hyena

Spotted hyena

Wildebeest

Wildebeest

Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus

Baboon

Baboon

African Wild Dog

African Wild Dog

Jackal

Jackal

Black rhinocerus

Black rhinocerus

Vervet monkey

Vervet monkey

Waterbuck

Waterbuck

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