Lake Nakuru National Park
LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK
Lake Nakuru National Park is situated in Central Kenya, 140km north-west of Nairobi,It covers an area of 188 km2. and the climate Ranges from Cold, Hot and Humid, Hot and Dry. Annual rainfall is 965mm
Lake Nakuru is a very shallow strongly alkaline lake with an area of 62 km2 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.
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. The foundation of the parks food chains is the cyanophyte spirulina platensis which can support huge numbers of lesser flamingo. Its birdlife is world-renowned: a beacon for leading ornithologists, scientists and wildlife filmmakers. The park spans an attractive range of wooded and bush grassland around the lake, offering wide ecological diversity, from Lake Water, woodland to the rocky escarpment and ridges.
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS in this park include Flamingos both Greater and Lesser and other water birds including a variety of terrestrial birds numbering about 450 species in total. The park has 56 different types of mammals species including white rhinos. About 550 different plant species including the unique and biggest euphorbia forest in Africa, Picturesque landscape and yellow acacia woodlands.
The park has an adequate and well serviced motorable roads that make most parts of the park accessible and hence game viewing is relatively easy: buffalo, leopard, lion, Rothschild Giraffe, White and Black Colobus monkey are plentiful in the forest. The bush lands offer eland, Steinbok, impala, Chandler's Reedbuck and dik dik, whilst rock hyrax and klipspringer occupy the cliffs and escarpment.
Accommodation includes: Lake Nakuru Lodge, Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, K.W.S. Guest House, several campsites, self-help banda and two picnic sites: Makalia Falls and Njoro River Mouth.
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