Originally declared a National Park because of a superbly diverse bird population, which includes many migrants, the park is also a favorite place for travelers seeking the rare black rhino. However, it is for the flamingos that the lake is best known, and it was for their protection that the park was originally created. The level of the blue-green alkaline waters here varies and this with other accompanying environmental changes causes considerable variation in the flamingo population, but when they are present en-masse, the whole lake turns a gorgeous rosy pink!
Although protection of the flamingo population on the lake was the original rationale for the inception of the park, further land was acquired in the early seventies. This expansion, which took in a large grassland area, has allowed the park to protect further species. Buffalo, zebra, antelope, lion and leopard are to be found. The rather less reedbuck and waterbuck are also here as is the glamorously leggy Rothschild giraffe. The black rhino-breeding programme, started in the late 1980, has proved successful and this is an excellent place to view them.
Lake Nakuru National Park is located about 160 Km from Nairobi and covers an area of about 190 sq Km. |
