LAKE NAKURU

Lake Nakuru

requires less introduction as it yields you with one of Kenya’s best known images.  It is perhaps Kenya’s most popular lake internationally and has variously been described as the most fabulous ornithological spectacle in the world.  The lake is within the most nationally visited park; the Lake Nakuru National Park.  So popular is the park that perhaps we forget it owes its existence to the lake and not the other way round.

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Lake Nakuru is a shallow, strongly alkaline lake and was gazetted as a bird sanctuary in 1960.  It is reputed to have the highest densities and diversity of bird species in the world, the foremost being the flamingo.  The lake can support up to 1.5 million flamingos during the prime season.

The average flamingo population has been between 500,000 to 900,000 birds, which is a breathtaking sight for visitors.  They move back and forth feeding and occasionally take to flight, filling the sky with colour.  Other common birds include the pelicans, plovers, and gulls that make a tour along the shoreline quite relaxing.  Over 400 migratory birds from around the world stop by at the lake.

Zebras, white rhinos and gazelles browse on the lake fringes.  Other common species are the water bucks mostly found on the eastern shoreline.  A visit to the lake early in the morning is advisable, as you are likely to see hippos and hyenas that prey on weak birds along the shoreline.   It is a spectacular view to be remembered.