As I was scrolling through my photos for this post, I couldn’t help but smile in awe all over again. How had I never really heard much about this place before? And seriously. How does it only have a 4.4 rating on Google?! Looking back, Lake Nakuru National Park easily became one of my absolute favorites in Kenya, a very close contender to the Maasai Mara.
Lake Nakuru was our second stop on Day 2 in Kenya. In my previous post, I shared how we initially planned to spend the whole day here, but after hearing that the flamingos weren’t around in huge numbers, we decided to switch things up and spend the morning at Lake Naivasha before heading to Nakuru in the afternoon.
In this post, I’ll share more about Lake Nakuru and the incredible wildlife that awaits. Just in case you’re planning to include it in your Kenya safari itinerary.
Table of Contents
On The Way to Lake Nakuru
If you look at a map of Kenya, Lake Nakuru doesn’t seem too far from Nairobi, but it can be quite a distance. The drive takes around 3 hours, and with Nairobi’s notorious traffic, it can easily stretch a bit longer.
In our case, we were coming from Lake Naivasha, which made the trip much shorter. Just about an hour and a half until we reached the park gates.
We had packed lunches with us, but honestly, eating during a game drive is a challenge. I could barely focus on my food. What if I missed a rhino walking by? Priorities, right? So I just nibbled on some chips while keeping my camera ready.
Wildlife at Lake Nakuru National Park
Located in the Great Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the most accessible safari destinations in Kenya. It’s also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011 for its rich biodiversity and ecological importance. It forms part of the Kenya Lake System, which also includes Lake Bogoria and Lake Elementaita.
What makes Lake Nakuru so special is how much it packs into one destination. The park is home to 4 of the iconic Big Five—lion, leopard, buffalo, and both black and white rhinos. It’s also one of the few places where you can spot the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe, along with flocks of flamingos painting the shoreline pink. And if that’s not enough, over 400 bird species call the park home.
Our Game Drive at Lake Nakuru National Park
The African Buffalo, One of Africa’s Big Five
The first big game we spotted at Lake Nakuru National Park was a herd of African buffalo. Brian, our guide, said, “That’s one of the Big Five. Your welcome gift from Nakuru.” And honestly, what a way to start.
This was probably the biggest herd of buffalo I’d seen so far on this trip. Even though they’re considered pretty common, I still find them fascinating. Especially when you see birds flying above them or hitching a ride on their backs.
African Fish Eagle
After admiring the herd of buffalo, we made our way into the acacia woodlands and spotted this majestic African Fish Eagle. As a city girlie, I’ve never really seen an eagle in the wild. Sure, we have many raptors species back home in the Philippines, but they’re so hard to spot in my area. Seeing this one perched high on a tree was like a scene straight out of Nat Geo!
The Vervet Monkey And His Bright Blue Assets
We also spotted a group of playful vervet monkeys hanging out by the park’s stone markers. They were chasing each other and showing off their antics. Take a look at this one showing off his bright blue assets! NSFW! 😆
Flamingos, Pelicans, and the Incredible Birdlife of Lake Nakuru
We carried on with our game drive, hoping to catch sight of flamingos. Since we were visiting in August, we didn’t get the endless pink sea that Lake Nakuru is famous for. Still, it didn’t feel like a loss at all. There were hundreds gathered along the shore, joined by countless other bird species. I’ve probably seen more birds today than in the rest of my life combined!
Out of curiosity, I looked up the difference between lesser and greater flamingos: the lesser flamingos are smaller and a deeper pink thanks to their algae diet, while the greater flamingos are taller, paler, and have longer necks. Now you know, too. 🙂
Rothschild’s Giraffes
Once done marveling at the birdlife along the shore, we continued our drive deeper into the park. This time with our eyes set on our main target—the elusive black rhino. It was already close to 5 PM, and the light was beginning to fade.
On the way, we stumbled upon a tower of Rothschild’s giraffes gracefully wandering through the acacia woodlands. Even though we were chasing daylight to find the rhinos, we couldn’t help but slow down and admire them for a while. Thanks to our guide Brian, who never rushed us when we wanted to take our time with wildlife like this.
The Black and White Rhinos
Before this trip, I didn’t know that Lake Nakuru National Park is actually a rhino sanctuary. Rhinos weren’t always here. They were introduced in the mid-1980s as part of Kenya’s efforts to protect them from poaching. Today, the park is home to both black and white rhinos.
The two rhino species are actually easy to tell apart once you know what to look for. Black rhinos are solitary browsers with a pointed lip, perfect for picking twigs, fruits, and tubers. White rhinos, despite the name, aren’t actually white. The name comes from the Dutch/Afrikaans word “wijde” (meaning wide), a reference to their broad, square-shaped mouth used for grazing. Like black rhinos, they’re grayish in color, but they’re more social and are often seen in small groups.
We had already seen white rhinos at Nairobi National Park the day before. So when our guide told us he would try to find a black rhino, I was beyond excited. But it was getting dark and the park was closing soon. I was beginning to get skeptical.
But Brian delivered. From a distance, there it was, a black rhino. No other vehicles were around, so we got a few quiet minutes to just watch and take it all in. As we drove out of the park, we spotted a crash of white rhinos grazing nearby. I mean, how could this day get any better than this?
Overall Experience
Sure, we didn’t get to see millions of flamingos, but that didn’t take away from the sheer magic of Lake Nakuru. It was still a major bragging-rights moment. I’ve never been anywhere with so much birdlife in one place.
The landscapes themselves were stunning. The lake framed by lush acacia woodlands made every snapshot feel straight out of a travel magazine. Even the game drive had its thrills. Fancy an “African massage”? 😂
And then, of course, there were the rhinos. Seeing both black and white rhinos here, especially the black rhino, which is notoriously elusive, was the perfect finale. Honestly, if I had the chance to return to Kenya, I’d spend a couple of days here.
Special thanks to Native Afrika Voyages for arranging this private Kenya safari and making the whole experience seamless and memorable.
Shout out to our guide Brian @midasafaris. He was relentless in tracking wildlife, made sure we saw everything on our list, and never rushed us. Thanks to him we got to savor every single magical moment. ♥️
That’s a wrap for Lake Nakuru! Next stop: Maasai Mara. Trust me, it only gets better from here. 🦁
