Lake Nakuru is located on the floor of the Great Rift Valley a few kilometers from Nakuru town. Nakuru is a Masai word which means dust. The park was founded in 1961 and includes the lake and the surrounding savannah land. It covers an area of about 90 miles. It is bordered by the Menengai Crater to the North, Emburu crater to the south, Mau escarpment to the west, Lion hill ranges to the north and Bahati hills to the north-east. There are three rivers draining into the lake namely; Njoro, Enderit and Makalia.
Lake Nakuru national park is one of Kenya top tourist attraction site. The lake is famous for watching over a million pink flamingo birds which nest along the shores. The shallow alkaline water lake and abundant algae is a good source of food for the birds. According to scientific findings, the large flock of flamingo birds in lake Nakuru consume about 250,000 kilos of algae 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 have deep red carmine bill and pink plumage. The greater flamingo has a bill with a black tip.
The Lake lies at an altitude of 1758 meters above sea level and, it comprises of about 27 percent of the park. Other birds commonly seen in the lake include the pelicans, cormorants, ducks, Avocets and the stilts. The introduction of Tilapia Grahami in 1960 has flourished over the years. This type of fish was introduced because it can withstand the salty water and at the same time control the mosquitoes. The fish is also a good source of food to the fish-eating birds.
The park vegetation ranges from acacia woodland, tall cactus trees, Euphorbia forest and savannah grassland. The forest and the lake is home to over 400 migratory bird species. Today, Lake Nakuru national park is fenced mainly to protect the rhino population from poaching. In fact, this park has the highest concentration of black and white rhinos in Kenya and, opportunities of spotting this endangered animals is high.
A part from the rhinos, this park is habitat to the Rothschild giraffe which were relocated from Nairobi giraffe center. The abundant yellow-bark acacia tress provide adequate food for the Rothschild giraffe together with the Masai giraffe. Other wildlife found in the park include the buffalo, leopard, warthog, zebra, gazelle and a large herd of water buck. There are also many hippos and craw-less otters in the lake. There are many python snakes especially in the dense woodlands within the park. This park is also a home to the largest Euphorbia forest in Kenya.
Lake Nakuru has faced challenges over the past. Urbanization, increased agricultural encroachment, drought and pollution have decreased the flamingo population. Drainage from the neighboring factories have reduced the alkaline concentration, reducing algae which is the main food for the flamingo birds.
You can visit the park any time of the year and have excellent bird and game viewing. Lake Nakuru national park is 157 kilometers from Nairobi and 4 kilometers from Nakuru town.
