Accommodation in Lake Nakuru National park
One of the most important things that you should consider when planning a safari to the Lake Nakuru National Park. When choosing an accommodation facility
Lake Nakuru National Park Safaris Kenya
Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru national park is one of Kenya’s finest jewels hidden in the Rift valley province 170 kilometers away from Nairobi. Sitting on 73 square kilometers, the park is found in the Great Rift Valley and is surrounded by numerous escarpments. The park is a top destination for tourists vising Kenya and this is because of the large flocks of birds with the main attraction being the lesser and greater flamingos. Note that the flamingos have reduced around the lake due to its increased water levels. The increment in the water levels has greatly reduced the salinity of the water which caused the flamingos to migrate. You will however still be able to see the pink birds longing around the Lake.
The National park has wild and beautiful scenery and the name was got from a Masai word which means ‘dusty place’. It was established in 1963 and was named after the famous Lake Nakuru and is surrounded by grasslands and wooded grasslands. The park is open daily from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm and can only be accessed by driving. Note that you cannot access the Park on foot and for those that would want to go for nature walks, it is only carried out in designated areas.
The flamingos
The pink flamingos are the top tourist attraction in Lake Nakuru National Park that are found along the shores of Lake Nakuru. Flamingo pink-colored birds are part of the Phoenicopteridae family and can be found around alkaline and saline water bodies. Two types of flamingos are in Lake Nakuru National park and these are the lesser flamingos and the greater flamingos. The only difference between the two flamingos is their size with the greater flamingos being larger than the lesser flamingos. The pink birds are normally found in hot and dry regions.
The lesser flamingos: these are known as the Phoeniconaias minor living along the banks of the alkaline water bodies feeding on microscopic life both in mud and water. They prefer feeding from the calmer part of the water and not the rougher ends.
The greater flamingos: these are large pale pink and white birds that have a bright colouring on the wing that is folded and are known as the Phoenicopterus Roseus. They are big in that when they stand they can reach to about 6ft and feed on the larger water organisms found at the bottom of the Lake.
When can I see the flamingos?
The best time for flamingo viewing in Lake Nakuru National Park is after the rainy season. The reason why this is the best season is that the algae that the flamingos feed on can easily be got during this time. During the dry season, the algae are exposed due to the reduced levels of water and that is more food for the flamingos. The rainy season causes the flamingos to migrate to other water bodies because the increased water makes it hard for the flamingos to get to the algae.
The best months to go see the Lake Nakuru flamingos is from July to August and then December to February and you will find large populations of flamingos c0verging along the shores of Lake Nakuru.
Lake Nakuru National Park fees
Lake Nakuru is managed by the Kenya wildlife Authority and it is responsible for setting the park fees and several factors are put into consideration when drafting the fees. A few things that you should note about the fees that are paid at the Park are that the only mode of payment allowed is through Visa cards, Mpesa and Electronic funds transfer, companies that provide their services to the Kenya wildlife Authority are eligible for the corporate pass and the park entry fees include game drives.
Birding in Lake Nakuru National Park
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Game drives in Lake Nakuru National Park
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Lake Nakuru National Park Day Trip
Welcome to Lake Nakuru National park located in the Great Rift Valley North-west of Nairobi city. The National Park is home to over 400 bird
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Animals in Lake Nakuru National Park
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Lake Nakuru Safari Cost
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Flamingos of Lake Nakuru
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3 Days Lake Nakuru Safari Kenya
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Lake Nakuru Camping Safari
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Lake Nakuru National Park Safari Cost
Below is a draft of the current Lake Nakuru National Pak fees but note that these can change at any given time and you should always check in with us to know if any changes have been made.
Park fees based on the age bracket and type of tourists
Foreign non-residents adults $60
Children $35
Foreign residents adults 1030kshs
Children 515kshs
EAC Citizens adults 860kshs
Children 215kshs
Annual park fees
The annual park fees are paid by tourists and are valid for one year. Every tourist who pays annual fees has access to the National Park for one year at any given time that they wish to visit Lake Nakuru National Park.
Personalized tour driver annual 6000kshs
Adults 43100kshs
Corporates 103400kshs
Children 10340kshs
Tour vehicle fees
The tourist vehicle fees are levied according to the capacity that each vehicle can hold and the fees paid are valid for only 24 hours.
5 seats and below 300kshs
6 to 12 seats 1030kshs
13 to 24 seats 2585kshs
25 to 44 seats 4050kshs
45 seats and above 5000kshs
Vehicles parked in the National Park
The vehicles that are stationed in the National Park pay a fee that is valid for the whole year and the fees depend on factors like the vehicle’s capacity and weight.
PSVs < 6 seats 10000kshs> 13 seats 100,000kshs
Commercial < 2 tons 10,000kshs>5 tons 100,000kshs
Delivery vehicles and trucks
1 to 3 tonnes 515kshs
4 to 7 tonnes 2155kshs
7 and above tonnes 3015 tonnes
Single landing fees (aircraft)
Every aircraft that lands in Lake Nakuru National Park are charged per landing and according to the number of seats it has and not the tourists.
3 to 1 seats 300kshs
3 to 6 seats 500kshs
7 to 14 seats 1000kshs
15 to 20 seats 2155kshs
21 seats and above 3015kshs
Activity fees
Cycling (per day) 215kshs
Night game drives 2155kshs
Horse riding (private horses) 1030kshs
Horse riding (excluding the rider) 2585kshs
Walking safaris 1500kshs
Camping fees
Lake Nakuru National Park has two main camping sites that is the public campsite and the special campsite. The fees charged per day for camping depend on the camping site that you’ve chosen and below is an estimation of what you should expect to pay but note that it is liable to change depending on various factors.
Public camping sites EAC citizens adults 250kshs
Children 200kshs
Foreign residents adults 600kshs
Children 300kshs
Foreign non-residents adults $30
Children $25
Special camps foreign non-residents adults $50
Children $25
Foreign residents adults 600kshs
Children 350kshs
EAC citizens adults 500kshs
Children 250kshs
Special services
The special services and their service fee include the following:
Cancellation fees which are non-refundable 7500kshs
Security per section of rangers 75000kshs
Reservation fees which are non-refundable 7500kshs
Vehicle recovery while inside the Park 7500kshs
Climate
January to February are the driest months experienced in Nakuru with temperatures ranging from 28 degrees Celsius to 30 or higher than that. It is recommended that you carry some warm clothing with you during this time especially in the morning and evening hours.
March to May experience the highest rainfall with temperatures rising to 27 degrees Celsius. Note that it might rain the whole day or sometimes just for a few hours but you need to be ready for both the rain and the sun.
June to December represent the dry season and although there are accessional showers, the heat sometimes becomes unbearable with the temperatures rising up to 25 degrees Celsius especially in the afternoons.
Things to do in Lake Nakuru National park
Lake Nakuru Safari Activities
Several activities are carried out in Lake Nakuru National park and these have been listed below so that you can get to choose what to engage in while there but we highly recommend that try out each one of them to get a great experience while on a Lake Nakuru national park safari.
Game viewing
This is one of the activities that you can carry out while in Lake Nakuru. National Park and best done during the dry season. The months of July to December and March are considered to be the best months for game viewing because the roads are not passable and the grass is thinner making it easy to see the animals. Some of the animals that you will see while on your game drive include lions, olive baboons, Burchell’s zebra, Rothschild’s giraffe, black rhinos, waterbucks, hyenas, hippos and the Thomson’s gazelle among others.
Birding
Lake Nakuru is best known for the pink greater and lesser flamingos in the whole country and it is also home to over 400 registered bird species some of which are endemic and near-endemic whereas others are migratory birds. The best time to go for birding in Nakuru is during the months of November to April. Some of the bird species found in the park include the Eastern imperial eagle, black-tailed godwit, grey-headed woodpecker, Abyssinian thrush, Black-winged Lapwing, Arrow marked babblers, great snipe, Northern vulture, slender-billed Greenbuls, Rupell’s robin-chat, lesser flamingos, greater flamingos, sooty falcon, brimstone canary, red-capped lark, Grey-crested helmet-shrike, Kenya Rufous sparrow, eastern imperial eagle, Bateleur, white-headed vulture, shining sunbird, Northern puffback, Montane white-eye and the Lesser kestrel among others.
Exploring the baboon cliff
The baboon cliff is one of the best places within the National Park where many of the tourists go to have a 360 view of the entire park. It was named after the baboon family that is found in the park and the best place for photography safaris and game viewing.
Makalia falls
Located within the National park, the Makalia falls provide a great view to tourists and is best known to be the one place that every camper should check out.
The black rhino sanctuary
Lake Nakuru national park is home to the largest population of the black Rhinos which have become extinct in some of the countries around Africa due to poaching from the locals. It is also home to about 70 white Rhinos and 25 or more black rhinos making it the best place to see the large animals.
The Crescent Island
This is the best place to see the giraffes, buffalos and many more other animals. Note that this private sanctuary does not have any predators on it making it a good place to go for guided walks and animal viewing.
`Best time to go to Lake Nakuru National Park
The national Park can be visited all year round although the best time depends on the activities that you would want to engage in while on your safari. The best time to go for game dives is during the dry season which is experienced in the months of July to December. For those that are not bothered about the rainy season and love birding, the best time is from March to May.
