Lake Nakuru National park

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• Anonymous

  22 April 2018

  Lake Nakuru National Park is situated approximately 164 kilometers from Kenya’s Capital City, Nairobi. It is dominated by a gentle undulating terrain with open bush and woodlands, typical of the dry rift valley vegetation. Twenty seven percent (27%) of the park is composed of the Lake Nakuru waters. The lake is 2km north of Nakuru town at grid reference 0°19'- 0°24' S/36°04'-36°07 E, and covers 49,00ha (9km long and 5.5km wide maximum) at an altitude of 1758m above sea level. The area around the lake is exclusively used for wildlife conservation while the land in the catchment area is intensively used for agriculture, forestry and ranching. The lake was gazetted as a National Park in 1968. The park was expanded over the years to 188 km2 to provide a perimeter buffer zone to protect the lake from encroachment by settlements and to minimize the impacts of urban and agricultural development in the immediate catchment. The park was declared a rhino sanctuary in 1983. The lake was inscribed on category VII, IX and X as a Natural World Heritage Site under the Kenya Lake System in 2011. The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley, is a natural property of outstanding beauty, comprises three inter-linked relatively shallow lakes (Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru and Lake Elementaita) in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya and covers a total area of 32,034 hectares. Lake Nakuru was also designated as a RAMSAR site in 1990 and has been branded as an Important Bird Area. The lake water is highly saline but supports a habitat rich in biodiversity including a variety of aquatic flora and fauna. The site has over 50 species of mammals that include water mammals mainly hippopotamus and clawless otters while the terrestrial part of the park supports a large number of other African plain mammals. The park is also a sanctuary of rhinoceros and the Rothschild's Giraffe. The introduction of a species of salt-tolerant Tilapia-grahami (for mosquito control) opened the way for the colonization of the lake by many species of fish eating birds (Cormorants, pelicans, hammercop, etc). The park has a large reserve of over 450 species of birds, which make it an ideal site of bird lovers, and over 550 species of plants. Although it is a protected area, Lake Nakuru National park is threatened by human activities both from within and outside the area. Siltation due to agricultural activities within the lake catchment is one of the major threats to the lake. Pollution from agricultural chemical such as fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides as well as industrial and domestic effluent from Nakuru town, which has a population of approximately 290,000 inhabitants, enters the lake through surface inflows. The high number of tourists visiting the Lake and the development activities accompanying it are further threatening the lake's biological resources. From historical records, the lake, dried up between 1951 and 1953, and interventions to control soda dust were initiated in 1953. Other threats include increase in invasive species and poaching. Together with other stakeholders that include the county government of Nakuru, we have endeavored to initiate thorough clean-up exercise in and out of the lake. The Nakuru Water and Sanitation Company which is an entity responsible for sewage system in Nakuru town have come out strongly to end the flow of untreated sewage into the lake. The management of the site is working hand in hand with the communities living around the park to stop poaching through community education outreach programs.

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• Anonymous

  21 March 2018

  Good view of Flemingo. Yet the journey to and from masaimara is exhausting.

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• Anonymous

  12 March 2018

  Great wildlife!

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• Anonymous

  15 February 2018

  Such a helpful app.

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• Anonymous

  04 January 2018

  Watching Flamingos was the unforgettable experience

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• Anonymous

  01 December 2017

  Nice park.The best you can see are the flamingos,be prepared to spend some time there.You may see white Rhinos and enough Zebras.Take a ride to baboon cliff view point.It is amazing

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• Anonymous

  01 November 2017

  Awesome place to see wildlife with nice views of the Lake.

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• Anonymous

  17 July 2017

  Nice place for tour.

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• Anonymous

  10 May 2017

  Beauty of creation at its best

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