GUIDE ON LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK IN KENYA

Lake Nakuru National Park is a must for your central Kenya tour of the Great Rift Valley with AfricanMecca! Seasonally, see firsthand one to two million lesser and greater flamingos dip their curved bills into the warm, alkaline water of the lake to extract their favorite food – special algae that are found in abundance in this unique water outback. Established in 1961, the park has gained global recognition as an ecologically significant region having been named a RAMSAR Site and Important Bird Area.

Lake Nakuru is also part of the Great Rift Valley Lake System that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park covers 73 square miles (188 square kilometers) that not only includes the lake, but also savannah, forests and swamps, and the southern end of the park also encompasses the Makalia Falls. The most prominent wildlife in the park includes 56 mammals and 450 bird species.



Tour exploring Nakuru Park with an expert guide offers an opportunity to see and engage in many of East Africa's most prized fauna in a natural and beautiful setting. The lake itself is frequently dotted with the pink tones of flamingos that are joined by pelicans, herons, storks and other wading birds.

Overhead, you see the distinct brown, black, white and bright yellow coloration of an African fish eagle looking for meaty carcass of flamingos while gliding on wings that span six to eight feet. One of the most colorful birds at Nakuru lake is the African pygmy kingfisher. As one of the smallest in the kingfisher family, this little insect-eating bird is about five inches long, but the brilliant plumage more than makes up for the small size.

Explore beyond the lake, and you will find a world of forest dwellers, plains game and other creatures – large and small. Three species, though, have found the greatest solace at Lake Nakuru, and these animals are the reason that you will see an electrified fence around the park. The white and black rhinos, as well as the Rothschild's giraffes that you see in the park have been rescued from the threat of poaching in other areas of Africa and also Kenya.



AfricanMecca guests who seek a thrilling Kenyan safari will have plenty to write home about when they see one of the park's most sought-after and elusive predators – the leopard. Although demanding to locate, these spotted carnivores are most often found lounging in the trees of the acacia forests that are set back from the shores of the lake.

Your game drives take you into the woodlands where you may catch sight of the colobus and vervet monkeys. Enjoy watching these primates, but be careful not to stand under them as they are known to be quite messy eaters, a habit that helps propagate the forest trees and vegetation. Thomson's gazelles, impalas, Grant's gazelles, waterbucks, reedbucks, buffalos and hippos are just some of the other herbivores found in the park. Keeping a constant watch over some of these prey animals are striped hyenas, lions, the rare wild cats, golden cats and other highly elusive predators.