The magic of Lake Nakuru

Some National Parks make you feel alive on a game drive, just like the Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lake Nakuru allows you to relax in one of nature’s most inviting yet rustic environs with wide vistas and beautiful sunrise and sunsets. This is where you see something new and exciting at every bend. Nakuru was, by far, my favourite safari experience among my A frican wildlife tours.

- Prashant Nayak

During the pre-convention tours at the Magical Kenya Tourism Expo (MKTE 2022) in October 2022, our team of five were showcased two destinations, Shaba Game Reserve and The Lake Nakuru National Park. Shaba, for me, was like Kenya’s best-kept secret, alive with the beautiful dry-country wildlife. Lake Nakuru National Park, on the other hand, turned out to be a total contrast, a spectral place high on greenery, a combination of forest and grassland, which made up for rewarding wildlife sightings.

From Shaba, we drove for almost nine hours toward Lake Nakuru in central Kenya. The Nakuru National Park is a short drive from Nakuru town and is one of the most visited parks in Kenya. Situated at the heart of the Rift Valley, the Park is home to one of the most amazing ornithological spectacles in the world - the flight of the flamingos!

At Lake Nakuru, it is said that just a decade ago, tens of thousands, occasionally up to one million Greater and Lesser flamingos turned the shores pink, and it was a spectacle to watch. However, this phenomenon has now been rather unpredictable, and since 2012, the flamingos have been absent in large numbers due to a change in the water levels. Heavy rains and floods in the Rift Valley since 2012 have swelled it to such an extent that some game-driving tracks and campsites have been submerged. Even the main gate has moved to higher ground. Due to rising water levels, the flamingos who are plankton feeders have fewer food options; hence, they have moved to other Rift Valley lakes, and this might be a permanent situation.