Lake Nakuru lies on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, a few kilometers from the city of Nakuru. Nakuru is a Maasai word meaning dust. The park was founded in 1961 and includes the lake and the surrounding savannah. Covers an area of ​​approximately 90 miles. It is bordered by the Menengai crater to the north, the Emburu crater to the south, the Mau escarpment to the west, the Lion mountain ranges to the north, and the Bahati Hills to the northeast. There are three rivers that flow into the lake, viz; Njoro, Enderit and Makalia.

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the major tourist attraction places in Kenya. The lake is famous for watching over a million pink flamingo birds nesting along the shores. The shallow, algae-rich, alkaline lake is a good source of food for birds. According to scientific findings, the large flock of flamingo birds in Lake Nakuru consume around 250,000 kilograms of seaweed per year. There are two types of flamingo birds in the lake; the lesser flamingo, which are the largest in number, and the greater flamingo. The lesser flamingo bird has a deep crimson bill and rosy plumage. The greater flamingo has a black-tipped bill.

The lake sits at an altitude of 1,758 meters above sea level and comprises approximately 27 percent of the park. Other birds commonly seen on the lake include pelicans, cormorants, ducks, avocets, and stilts. The introduction of Tilapia Grahami in 1960 has thrived over the years. This type of fish was introduced because it can withstand salt water while also controlling mosquitoes. Fish is also a good food source for fish-eating birds.

The park’s vegetation varies from acacia forests, tall cactus trees, Euphorbia forests, and savannah grasslands. The forest and lake are home to more than 400 species of migratory birds. Today, Lake Nakuru National Park is fenced off mainly to protect the rhino population from poaching. In fact, this park has the highest concentration of black and white rhinos in Kenya and the chances of spotting these endangered animals are high.

In addition to the rhinos, this park is the habitat of the Rothschild giraffe that was relocated from the Nairobi giraffe center. The abundant yellow-barked acacia trees provide adequate food for the Rothschild giraffe along with the Masai giraffe. Other wildlife found in the park include buffalo, leopard, wild boar, zebra, gazelle, and a large herd of water deer. There are also plenty of hippos and otters without crawling in the lake. There are many pythons, especially in the dense forests within the park. This park is also home to the largest Euphorbia forest in Kenya.

Lake Nakuru has faced challenges in the past. Urbanization, increased agricultural encroachment, drought, and pollution have decreased the flamingo population. The drainage from the neighboring factories has reduced the alkaline concentration, reducing the algae, which is the main food of the flamingo birds.

You can visit the park at any time of the year and have some great birding and game watching. Lake Nakuru National Park is 157 kilometers from Nairobi and 4 kilometers from the city of Nakuru.