Early morning breakfast will be served at 6:30a.m and thereafter proceed to Lake Nakuru National Park, where we will be required to pay for our park fees and thereafter proceed with game drives.
Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya’s two Premium Parks, and is a bird lover’s paradise. It surrounds Lake Nakuru, located in the Central Rift Conservation Area in the Southern Rift Valley region of Kenya. Originally protected as a bird sanctuary, this park hosts over 400 bird species, including 5 globally threatened species, and is an important stop on the African-Eurasian Migratory Flyway. This park was also the first national Rhino Sanctuary and hosts one of the world’s highest concentrations of the Black Rhinoceros.
Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya’s 23 National Parks and one of two in the Premium category, along with Amboseli National Park. It can be found in Central Kenya, about 90 miles (140km) northwest of Nairobi, in the Nakuru district of the Rift Valley Province. The ecosystem is comprised of the lake, surrounded by wooded and bushy grasslands. The park supports a wide ecological diversity including Flamingos (Greater and Lesser) and other water birds, and the Black and White Rhinoceros which are the major attractions of the area. Lake Nakuru National Park started as a bird viewing and sport shooting area of migratory birds in 1950s, but has since been expanded and fenced to protect populations of endangered giraffes and rhinoceros.
In addition to its 400 species of birds, Lake Nakuru National Park is home to 50+ mammal species, and over 500 species of flora. This park is famous for the flocks of Greater and Lesser Flamingos that gather around the lake, sometimes with as many as 2 million! You can find this great pink mass around the lake for a good part of the year, as these iconic birds stay mostly within the Rift Valley, migrating from lake to lake. Because Lake Nakuru National Park was fenced to protect endangered Rhinos and Giraffes, it can’t support African Elephants, so you won’t find any here!
You are guaranteed to see: White Rhinos, African Buffalos, Rothschild Giraffes, Zebras, Impalas, Olive Baboons, Vervet Monkeys, Waterbucks, a variety of water birds (Yellow-billed Pelicans, Marabou Storks, Hammerkops, Fish Eagles, etc.)
Common in the park: Hyenas, Jackals, Lesser Flamingos, Hippopotamus, Pythons
If you are lucky you may see: Lions, Leopards, Black Rhinos, Wild Dogs, Colobus Monkeys, and Cheetahs
Don’t forget the plants! In Lake Nakuru National Park you can see a wide variety of beautiful landscapes: from grasslands to dense forests, and the very rare tarconanthus bushlands and euphorbia forests. Lake Nakuru National Park is officially classified as dry sub-humid to semi-arid, which basically means it’s not too wet and not too dry, or too hot or cold. The climate in this area is really beautiful, you won’t fry in the sun here like you would in Amboseli or Tsavo. You are likely however, to get rained on. Late afternoon is the most common time for rain showers. If you want the best chance of avoiding these rains, consider coming sometime between July to December and January to March. However, avoiding the rain is not guaranteed, even during these dryer months. Also, these months are in the peak tourism season, so the park will be very crowded with tourist vehicles.
Another great thing about this park- it’s fenced, so even during the wet months you will see wildlife because they cannot migrate away from the park. We will take our game drives to around 11.00p.m before checking out from the park after an amazing game drive. Thereafter, and after safari briefing, depart for Amboseli National Park at the foot of the snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro Africa's highest mountain via Mombasa Road with a quick stop over at Emali Town for buying snacks/Lunch and washroom break before proceeding towards the Camp/LODGE where, we will arrive in good time at around 5:30p.m. After checking-in, freshen-up then familiarize yourself with the hotel facilities. Dinner and overnight stay at the Camp/LODGE.