1 Day Lake Nakuru National Park Day
Trip
Pick up from Nairobi or your hotel in the early morning and drive down
the Escarpment to the floor of the Great Rift Valley, to Lake Nakuru
National Park. Along the way you have the chance to stop at a viewpoint
and take pictures of the Great Rift Valley below you.
The day is spent game viewing within the park; stopping for a lunch at
Sarova Lion Hill or Lake Nakuru lodge. We return to Nairobi in the late
afternoon. Drop in Nairobi or your hotel. End of our services.
You may get out of the vehicle at the lake shore to get a closer look at the birds. The nearby cliffs offer sightings of baboons, birds of prey and scurrying hyraxes, as well as great views of the park. The national park covers 180 sq km and is home to warthogs, waterbuck, buffaloes, reedbucks, and the occasional leopard as well as white and black rhinos which were introduced to the park some years ago.
Price Per person US$ 240
Departs Daily
Minimum 2 Pax
Lake Nakuru Day trip price
includes:
.Transportation in a safari minibus, driven by English-speaking
driver/guide
.Park entrance fees including local government taxes
.Drivers Allowances
.Game drives as detailed in the itinerary
Lake Nakuru Day Trip cost excludes:
.Tips & drinks
.International flights
.Visas to Kenya
.Items of personal nature
.Any other extras not detailed in the above itinerary
Lake Nakuru National Park
Safari - Kenya
Nakuru means "Dust or Dusty Place" in Maasai language. Lake Nakuru
National Park, close to Nakuru town, was established in 1961. It started
off small, only encompassing the famous lake and the surrounding
mountainous vicinity. Now it has been extended to include a large part
of the savannahs.
Lake Nakuru, a small (it varies from 5 to 30 square kilometers) shallow
alkaline lake on the edge of the town of Nakuru lies about 160
kilometers north of Nairobi. It can therefore be visited in a day tour
from the capital or more likely as part of a circuit taking in the Masai
Mara or Lake Baringo and east to Samburu. The lake is world famous as
the location of the greatest bird spectacle on earth - myriads of
fuschia pink flamingoes whose numbers are legion, often more than a
million maybe two. They feed on the abundant algae, which thrives in the
warm waters. Scientists reckon that the flamingo population at Nakuru
consumes about 250,000 kilos of algae per hectare of surface area per
year. There are two types of flamingo species: the Lesser flamingo can
be distinguished by its deep red carmine bill and pink plumage unlike
the greater, which has a bill with a black tip. The Lesser flamingos are
ones that are commonly pictured in documentaries mainly because they are
large in number. Flamingo populations in Lake Nakuru are on a steady
increase again. The numbers had been reduced due to the El-Nino weather
pattern that flooded the lake, and changed the alkaline concentration.
The flamingos feed on algae, created from their droppings mixing in the
warm alkaline waters, and plankton. But flamingo are not the only avian
attraction, also unforgettable are two fish eating birds, pelicans and
cormorants. Despite the tepid and alkaline waters, a diminutive fish,
tilapia grahami has flourished after being introduced in the early
1960's. The lake is rich in other birdlife. There are over 400 resident
species on the lake and in the surrounding park. Thousands of both
little grebes and white winged black terns are frequently seen as are
stilts, avocets, ducks, and in the European winter the migrant waders.
Lake Nakuru National Park, which surrounds the lake, has recently been
enlarged partly to provide a sanctuary for the black rhino. This
undertaking has necessitated a fence - to keep out poachers rather than
to restrict the movement of wildlife. The park now has more than 25
rhinos, one of the largest concentrations in the country, so the chances
of spotting these survivors are good. There are also a number of
Rothschild's giraffe, again translocated for safety from western Kenya
beginning in 1977. Waterbuck are very common and both the Kenya species
are found here. Among the predators are lion and leopard, the latter
being seen much more frequently in recent times. The park also has large
sized python snakes that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be
seen crossing the roads or dangling from trees.
Due credit should be given to the World Wide Fund For Nature
organization, and local Kenyan wildlife foundations for supporting the
preservation of animals, protection of the rhinoceros population and
research into the effects of surrounding communities and industries
The Great Rift Valley, mostly known in Kenya as the East African Rift
Valley, was formed between 2 and 7 million years ago. It is the longest
rift on the surface of the earth. The Rift Valley starts all the way
from Jordan, Middle East, and runs through Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania,
Congo, Malawi, and ends near the coastal town of Solada in Mozambique.
The amazing attribute about the Rift Valley is that once it reaches the
Kenyan border, it diverges into two rifts, which later converge near
Lake Rukwa in southern Tanzania.
The Great Rift Valley is approximately 4,000 miles long and 35 miles
wide. It was formed due to geological tension in the earth's crust that
caused a deep depression, while probably forcing the sides upwards. The
floor of the valley is normally below sea level. In Kenya, the Rift
Valley gave rise to many lakes that have become a habitat for diverse
wildlife. The walls of the Rift Valley are called escarpments; the
famous escarpments of Kenya being the Mau Escarpment. The Mau
escarpments are famous for their height, which rise over 8500 feet.
To the surprise of many tourists, geological movements still occur in
the Rift Valley. In 2000, the British media, BBC, reported that Mount
Kenya had reduced in height. Both Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro are almost
adjacent to the Rift Valley.
Thank you and enjoy!.
