13 Facts about Lake Nakuru National Park
13 Facts about Lake Nakuru National Park
13 Facts about Lake Nakuru National Park: Lake Nakuru National Park commonly known as the Bird paradise is one of the great safari destinations in Kenya that tourists like to visit when in Kenya. Because its one of the most visited in Kenya, here are some quick facts about the Park that may help you understand the park better.
- Location: Lake Nakuru National Park is located in Central Kenya in Nakuru County. The Park is also located north west of Nairobi city and its about 3 to 4 hours from the city to the park by road.
- Lake Nakuru: Lake Nakuru National Park Houses the famous Lake Nakuru which is one the soda lakes in the rift valley. Lake Nakuru is 1754 meters above sea level and lies south of Nakuru County. Like the Park, Lake Nakuru is 3 to 4 hours North West of Nairobi City.
- Flamingos: Lake Nakuru National Park is famous for the pink flamingos that are the park’s most popular attraction. The flamingos make their life on Lake Nakuru in the park that has an abundance of blue-green algae which is food for the flamingos. The presence of this particular algae attracts huge number of flamingos throughout the year hence making Lake Nakuru National park famous because of these birds. The park has both the greater and lesser flamingo species.
- Other birds: On top of the flamingos that are evidently the most popular birds in Lake Nakuru National Park, the park is home to over 400 bird species that include:- Dusky Nightjar, African Fish Eagle, African Cuckoo, Pink-backed Pelican, Grey-crested Helmetshrike, Common Greenshank, Woolly-necked Stork, White-browed Robin-Chat and many more
- Animals: Lake Nakuru National Park is home to over 50 mammal species that live in the park’s savannah lands and some water-loving mammals that make their life on Lake Nakuru. These animals include but not limited to: – Rhinos, Buffaloes, Hippos, waterbucks, Impalas, baboons, Zebras, Warthogs, colobus monkeys and many more. The park also harbours some Pythons.
- The Rhino Sanctuary: Lake Nakuru National park is a Rhino Sanctuary, the first ever Rhino Sanctuary in Kenya and among the biggest Rhino sanctuaries in the country. The sanctuary has over 100 endangered Rhinos distributed between the black and white Rhinos. The Rhino sanctuary in fenced to stop the Rhinos from getting out and also to prevent Poachers from getting to the Rhinos. The Rhino sanctuary also houses the rare and endangered Rothschild’s giraffe.
- Fence: Lake Nakuru National Park is fenced with an electric fence. This means all year round the animals in the park don’t get out or migrate to other parks which means any time you visit the park you will be able to view the over 50 mammal species that live in the park.
- Raised Ridges (Viewpoints): Lake Nakuru National Park is endowed with amazing raised ridges that not only compliment the park’s beauty but also offer amazing viewpoints for birding, game viewing and sightseeing. Most people visit these viewpoints for unmatchable picnic experiences and for scenic photography backgrounds among other things.
- Climate: Lake Nakuru National Park has a unique climate of sub-humid weather. This kind of weather is not so hot and not so cold all through the year. Though, the park still experiences two seasons the rainy and sunny season. However during these seasons, the conditions are not as extreme as other parts of Kenya because of the park’s semi-humid climate.
- Best Time to Visit Lake Nakuru National Park: Because of its unique Climate, that is neither too hot nor too cold, you can visit Lake Nakuru National Park any time of the year; even on the sunny days the sun is not as hot as the other parts of Kenya. That said still the best time to visit Lake Nakuru National Park is during the dry months that are January, February, March, June, July, August and September. The rest of the months are wet with the wettest being April and May so they may interrupt your game viewing.
- Well established Road Network: Lake Nakuru National Park has a well-established Road Network within the park that facilitates a great game viewing experience because the road network takes you to all ends of the park where you can find the animals easily.
- Park Story: Lake Nakuru National Park was first designated as a bird sanctuary in the 1950s and the park then comprised of Lake Nakuru and afew kilometers of the Lake’s surrounding area. In the 1960s the park was expanded to include the savannah area and animals were introduced into the park graduating it from only birds; in 1968 Lake Nakuru National Park was officially gazetted as a National Park.
- Park Management: Lake Nakuru National Park is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Services.