Leisure & Safari
A soda lake famous for flamingos, one of Kenya's best places for black and white rhino, and lions that climb trees.
Why Lake Nakuru is special
Lake Nakuru is one of the places where Kenya brought its rhinos back. The park was fenced as a rhino sanctuary in the 1980s, and today it is one of the best places in the country to see both black and white rhinos in a single drive. Kenya Wildlife Service rangers protect them around the clock. The park is also part of the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it shows the Rift at its most dramatic, with cliffs, acacia woodland and a soda lake below.
Where and when
The park sits beside Nakuru city, about two and a half hours by road from Nairobi. It works year-round. The dry months, usually June to October and January to March, make the tracks easier to drive. Flamingo numbers rise and fall with the lake's water level and chemistry. Since around 2010 the lake has risen sharply, and the huge pink flocks of older photographs are less reliable now. In some years many birds are at Lake Bogoria or Lake Elmenteita instead, so we check before you go.
A typical day
Morning drives head for the grassland near the lake shore, where white rhinos graze in the open. Black rhinos are shyer and browse in the bush. Your guide will look for lions resting in the yellow-barked acacias, buffalo by the water, and Rothschild's giraffes, a rare subspecies moved here to protect them. At midday you stop at Baboon Cliff or another viewpoint for a picnic above the lake. Makalia Falls in the south of the park is worth a stop after rain.
Who it suits
Travelers who want rhinos, which are hard to see in the Mara. Families, because the park is compact and close to Nairobi, and children can count rhinos, giraffes and buffalo in a single morning. Birders, with more than 400 species recorded, from pelicans to fish eagles. It also fits neatly between Nairobi and the Mara, or as part of a Rift Valley lakes loop with Naivasha, Hell's Gate and Lake Bogoria, where hot springs steam on the shore.
Practical tips
Bring binoculars for each traveler, because rhinos and birds are often across open ground. A long lens helps with flamingos and pelicans. Don't expect the lake to be pink: treat flamingos as a bonus and the rhinos as the main event. The park's lower roads can flood when the lake is high, so let your guide choose the route. Stay in the vehicle except at marked viewpoints and picnic sites. Park fees are set by Kenya Wildlife Service and change, and we confirm them in your quote.
Plan it with us
Kenya Experience is Kenyan-led, with two U.S. companies behind it and Kenyan guides who know the Rift. Pay in full or monthly with no deposit, and a specialist replies within two business days.
Two and a half hours from Nairobi, Lake Nakuru National Park packs rhinos, flamingos, Rothschild's giraffe, leopards and tree-climbing lions into a day's drive around the lake, with escarpment viewpoints over the whole Rift.
Good to know
- Best timeYear-round.
- Duration1–2 nights.
- GroupAny.
- PaceRelaxed.
Your questions
Are there still flamingos at Lake Nakuru?
Yes, though numbers vary a lot from year to year. Rising water since around 2010 has changed the lake, and in some years more flamingos gather at Lake Bogoria or Lake Elmenteita.
Can you see rhinos at Lake Nakuru?
Yes. The park is a fenced rhino sanctuary and one of Kenya's best places to see both black and white rhinos.
Is Lake Nakuru worth visiting?
Yes, for rhinos, Rothschild's giraffes, tree-climbing lions and Rift Valley views, all within a short drive of Nairobi or Naivasha.
How long do you need at Lake Nakuru?
A full day of game drives covers the park well, and one night lets you drive at both dawn and dusk.
Panga
Plan your Rhinos and flamingos at Lake Nakuru trip
Panga means plan. Tell us who is going and what you love. A Kenya specialist replies within two business days.
