Lake Nakuru National Park

National park centred around Lake Nakuru, known for birdlife including flamingos and as a sanctuary for both black and white rhino

Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley lakes, located at an elevation of 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park.

About 10,000 years ago, Lake Nakuru, together with neighbouring Lake Elementaita and Lake Bogoria, formed one single, deep freshwater lake that eventually dried up, leaving the three lakes as remnants. In 2011, the three lakes were inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Kenya Lake System of the Great Rift Valley.

Water levels in Lake Nakuru have varied considerably, with the lake almost drying up several times over the past 50 years. A significant drop occurred in the early 1990s. In 2013, levels again increased rapidly, leading to the migration of many flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search of food supply. Between 2010 and 2020, Lake Nakuru increased in surface area from 40 to 68 square kilometres (15 to 26 sq mi). 677 households, parts of Nakuru town and some National Park areas had been flooded.

Submersion of the main gate of Lake Nakuru National Park in 2024 due to rising water levels
Since 2021, there has been an alarming increase in the rising water levels at the lake caused by climate change. This upsurge of water levels led to the displacement of animals from the park and the destruction of property, submersion of the main entrance gate and other park infrastructure.

Lake Nakuru National Park (188 km2, 73 mi2) was created in 1961 around Lake Nakuru, near Nakuru Town. It is best known for its thousands, sometimes millions of flamingos nesting along the shores. The surface of the shallow lake is often hardly recognisable due to the continually shifting mass of pink. The number of flamingos on the lake varies with water and food conditions, and the best vantage point is from Baboon Cliff. Also, of interest is an area of 188 km (117 mi) around the lake fenced off as a sanctuary to protect giraffes as well as both black and white rhinos.

The park has recently been enlarged partly to provide a sanctuary for black rhinos. This endeavour has necessitated a fence – to keep out poachers rather than to restrict the movement of wildlife. The park stretches for 12.1 km (7.5 mi) on the south eastern boundary with the Soysambu Conservancy, which represents a possible future expansion of habitat for the rhinos and the only remaining wildlife corridor to Lake Naivasha.

In 2009, the park had more than 25 eastern black rhinoceros, one of the largest concentrations in the country, plus around 70 southern white rhinos. There are also a number of Rothschild's giraffe, again relocated for safety from western Kenya beginning in 1977. Waterbuck are very common, and both the Kenyan subspecies are found here. Among the predators are lions, leopards and hyenas, the latter being seen much more frequently in recent times. The park also has large pythons that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be seen crossing the roads or dangling from trees.

As well as flamingos, there are a myriad of other bird species that inhabit the lake and the area surrounding it, such as African fish eagle, Goliath heron, hamerkop, pied kingfisher and Verreaux's eagle among others of their kind.