Lake Nakuru offers easy wildlife viewing of most big safari animals with the exception of elephants. Black and white rhino were reintroduced in the 1980s and have bred to healthy populations. White rhino are usually easy to see on the western lakeshore. Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo and hippo are numerous as well. Lucky visitors might see lions, which occasionally climb trees. Leopard are present, and if you’re lucky you’ll spot one.
Lake Nakuru offers easy wildlife viewing of most big safari animals with the exception of elephants. Black and white rhino were reintroduced in the 1980s and have bred to healthy populations. White rhino are usually easy to see on the western lakeshore. Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo and hippo are numerous as well. Lucky visitors might see lions, which occasionally climb trees. Leopard are present, and if you’re lucky you’ll spot one.
Many big safari animals are present in Lake Nakuru National Park, except for elephants. The park is known for its populations of black and white rhino. White rhino is particularly easy to see, and different groups can be encountered throughout the day, especially around the causeway at the western end of the lake. Lake Nakuru is also an important refuge for the Rothschild’s giraffe, which inhabits the acacia forests extending out from the western end of the lake.
In addition to rhino, Rothschild's giraffe was introduced here in the 1980s and has now become locally common. Vervet monkey and olive baboon are very common, but the beautiful black-and-white colobus monkey is rarer than it used to be. Tree-climbing lions are possible highlights. The acacia forest behind Mikingo Hill is a good place to look for leopards. Hippo, waterbuck, plains zebra, eland and Thomson’s gazelle are common on the floodplains.
Lions at the Lake Nakuru National ParkLake Nakuru National Park is a great birding destination with more than 400 species recorded. The soda lake is a birding hot spot and supports a lot of birdlife, including flamingos and pelicans at the western end of the lake. Nakuru is also one of the best places in Kenya to see the striking long-tailed widowbird. There is a good variety of raptors including Verreaux’s and long-crested eagle.
Bird watching in Lake Nakuru is good year-round, although the best time for birders is from November to March. At this time, you’ll enjoy the best weather and the presence of migratory birds from Europe and North Africa (in the park November through April). This is also the breeding season and many birds are in full plumage. In addition to the migratory species, many interesting birds are here throughout the year.
Flamingoes at the Lake Nakuru National Park
