Lake Nakuru is perched at an impressive altitude of 1,754 meters (5,755 feet) in the Rift Valley, just south of Nakuru, Kenya. This stunning lake is embraced by Lake Nakuru National Park, a haven for wildlife. Once teeming with algae, it became a popular stop for flamingos, which once graced its shores in large numbers. The park is also a sanctuary for a wide array of bird species, along with warthogs, baboons, and other large mammals, including the introduced eastern black and southern white rhinos.
The name Nakuru comes from the Maasai word meaning ‘Dust or Dusty Place.’ Established in 1961, Lake Nakuru National Park started as a small area surrounding the lake and its mountainous borders, but has grown to encompass a large section of the Savannah. Furthermore, Lake Nakuru is recognised as a protected site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, highlighting its global ecological importance.
In 2009, the park supported over 25 eastern black rhinoceros, making it one of the largest populations in Kenya, alongside roughly 70 southern white rhinos. Since 1977, Rothschild’s giraffes have also been brought here for their protection. Commonly seen species include waterbucks, while predators like lions, cheetahs, and an increasing number of leopards inhabit the area. Large pythons are also part of the park’s ecosystem, often seen crossing roads or lounging in trees.
Beyond flamingos, the park is rich in birdlife, hosting a variety of species such as the African fish eagle, Goliath heron, hamerkop, pied kingfisher, and Verreaux’s eagle, among many others.
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About 10,000 years ago, Lake Nakuru existed as part of a vast, deep freshwater lake system alongside Lake Elementaita and Lake Naivasha, just 60 km to the south. As time went on, this larger lake dried up, leaving behind the trio of smaller lakes we recognise today. Over the last five decades, Lake Nakuru’s water levels have seen significant fluctuations, with nearly complete drying occurring multiple times, most notably in the early 1990s. In 2013, there was a sharp rise in water levels, which led many flamingos to relocate to Lake Bogoria in search of food. Between 2010 and 2020, the surface area of Lake Nakuru expanded from 40 to 68 square kilometres (15 to 26 square miles), resulting in the flooding of 677 homes and parts of Nakuru town, along with some sections of the National Park.
Lake Nakuru National Park, founded in 1961 and spanning 188 km² (73 mi²), is situated close to Nakuru Town and is famous for its impressive flamingo populations that flock to its shores. Often, the lake appears to shimmer with the bright pink hues of these birds, whose numbers vary depending on the availability of food and water. For the best views of this stunning scene, head to Baboon Cliff.
Surrounding the lake, a designated area of 188 km² (117 mi²) serves as a sanctuary for giraffes and both black and white rhinos. The park has been recently expanded to reinforce protection for the black rhinos, implementing a fence not to restrict wildlife movement but to deter poachers. Along its southeastern boundary, the park stretches 12.1 km (7.5 mi) adjacent to the Soysambu Conservancy, which may become a future habitat expansion for rhinos, acting as the last remaining wildlife corridor to Lake Naivasha.