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Lake Nakuru National Park
Background
Information
Lake Nakuru is a very shallow strongly alkaline
lake 62 km2 in extent. It is set in a picturesque
landscape of surrounding woodland and grassland
next to Nakuru town. The landscape includes areas
of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs
and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky
hillsides covered with a Euphorbia forest on the
eastern perimeter.
The
lake catchment is bounded by Menengai crater to
the north, the Bahati hills to the north east, the
lion hill ranges to the east, eburu crater to the
south and the mau escarpment to the west. Three
major rivers, the njoro, makalia and enderit drain
into the lake, together with treated water from
the town's sewage works and the outflow from several
springs along the shore.
Lake
Nakuru was first gazetted as a bird sanctuary in
1960 and upgraded to National Park status in 1968.
A northern extension was added to the park in 1974
and the lake was designated as a Ramsar site in
1990. The foundation of the parks food chains is
the cyanophyte spirulina platensis which can support
huge numbers of lesser flamingo.
Location:
Central Kenya, 140km north-west of Nairobi, in Nakuru
District of the Rift Valley Province. It covers
an area of 188 km2.
Climate:
Ranges from Cold, Hot and Humid, Hot and Dry. Annual
rainfall is 965mm
HOW
TO GET THERE
Roads:
The park has a tarmac road connection with Nairobi,
a distance of 156 km north west of Nairobi on the
main A104 road. The most commonly used route into
the park is via the main gate, 4 km from Nakuru
Town Centre. It is also possible to enter the park
from the main Nairobi Nakuru road at Lanet Gate.
The Nderit Gate is used by people accessing the
park from Masai Mara or Elementaita.
Airstrips:
The Naishi airstrip services the park for tourism
and KWS activities.
Park
Roads:
The park has an adequate and well serviced motorable
roads that make most parts of the park accessible.
Park
Gates:
The park has three gates, Main Gate and Lanet Gate
that link the park with the Nairobi-Nakuru highway
and the less used Nderit Gate.
MAJOR
ATTRACTIONS
* Flamingo (Greater and Lesser) and other water
birds including a variety of terrestrial birds numbering
about 450 species in total.
* Mammals: 56 different species including white
rhinos.
* View-points: Lion hill, Baboon cliff and Out of
Africa
* Hills: Enasoit, Honeymoon, Lion hill ridge etc.
* Waterfalls: Makalia
* Unique vegetation: About 550 different plant species
including the unique and biggest euphorbia forest
in Africa, Picturesque landscape and yellow acacia
woodlands.
FACILITIES
Bandas:
Naishi bandas
Lodges:
Lake Nakuru lodge & Sarova Lion Hill Lodge.
Special
Campsites:
Naishi, Chui, Rhino, Soysambu, Nyati, Nyuki and
reedbuck.
Public
Campsites:
Makalia and Bacpakers.
ACTIVITIES
Game
viewing, bird watching
COMMON
VEGETATION
The
vegetation is mainly wooded and bushy grassland
with a wide ecological diversity and characteristic
habitats that range from the lake waters to the
escarpment and ridges.
The
normally water-covered surface of the lake occupies
about a third of the park. The lake water supports
a dense bloom of the blue-green Cyanophyte Spirulina
platensis from which it derives its colour and which
is the major food source for the flamingo.
The
lake is fringed by alkaline swamps with areas of
sedge, Cyprus laevigatus and typha marsh along the
river inflows and springs. The surrounding areas
support a dry transitional savanna with lake margin
grasslands of Sporobolus spicatus salt grass moving
into grasslands of Hyparrhenia hirta and rhodes
grass Chloris gayana in the lower areas.
More
elevated areas have dry forest with Acacia xanthophloea,
olive Olea hochstetteri and Croton dichogamus; Euphorbia
candelabrum forest; and bushland dominated by the
composites, Mulelechwa Tarchonanthus camphoratus
and Psiadia arabica.
Rocky
hillsides on the Parks eastern perimeter are covered
with Tarchonanthys scrub and a magnificent Euphobia
candelabrum forest.
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