Located just a two to three hour drive from Nairobi, Lake Nakuru National Park is the perfect choice for those wanting a safari when time is limited. Once home to Kenya's famous flamingo flocks, the park is now most famous for its large herds of buffalo, the presence of four of the Big Five, and its larger than average populations of rhinoceros. A scenic park bordering Lake Nakuru, it's a fun day trip from the city.
The Park has Kenya’s largest population of rhinos. The surface of the Lake Nakuru occupies about a third of the park. It supports a dense bloom of the blue-green Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis from which it derives its colour and is a food source for flamingos.
This is a beautiful park known for its favorite animal spotting viewpoints like Lion Hill and Out of Africa where you may also see baboon, waterbuck, cheetah, rare endangered Rothschild’s giraffe and birds – over 400 species. 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 Kenyan 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 pythons that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be seen crossing the roads or dangling from trees.