It has been a while since I did a wildlife safari post, so this week we head to the Lake Nakuru National park. I cannot remember the last time I visited the park, but thanks to the Kenya Wildlife Service I was able to obtain some photos for this post.
Lake Nakuru National Park is situated approximately 164 kilometers from Nairobi (the capital of Kenya). It is dominated by a gentle undulating terrain with open bush and woodlands. A third of the park is composed of the Lake Nakuru waters.
Panoramic view of Lake Nakuru from Baboon cliff image source Get in travel.
The landscape also includes rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides.
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Makalia falls Photo courtesy of KWS.
Makalia falls Photo courtesy of KWS.
The park is a perfect one-day safari. Within a short area, you can find all the big animals (except elephants), and see them up close because the park is relatively small and they hang out near the road that circles the lake.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
A Baboon perched in the famous Baboon cliff Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
A pair of Water bucks Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
A Porcupine Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
The park has the largest population of rhinos in Kenya. The park has recently been enlarged partly to provide a sanctuary for the rhino. A fence has also been built to keep out poachers.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
.
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Sadly, recent years have seen an alarming rise in rhino poaching. Despite the gallant efforts of rangers putting their life in line for the rhinos, the park still lost nine rhinos in 2012. In the same year, South Africa lost more than 650 rhinos to poachers.
Lions seem fairly easy to spot
Photo courtesy of KWS.
.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
.
‘Chillin’ Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
An array of reptiles too can be spotted in the park
Chameleon Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
.
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Lake Nakuru is legendary for its birdlife, over 450 recorded species!
Cormorants Photo courtesy of KWS.
Egyptian geese taking a stroll Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
The Lake has a huge concentration of Pelicans Photo courtesy of KWS.
A Crown Crane Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
A hornbill Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Crow and Stork perched on a tree Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Tawny Eagle Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Vulture Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Lake Nakuru National Park is best known for its flamingos, which during the peak number over one million. The flamingos are attracted by an abundance of algae cyanophyte spirulina platensis found in the lake.
Photo courtesy of KWS.
Photo courtesy of Harold Schueltz / KWS
Few words can actually describe the awe-inspiring vision of a seemingly endless pink blanket of feathers that greets you at the Lake Nakuru National Park. Photo courtesy of Meiguoxing blog.
A spectacular sunset over Lake Nakuru. Image courtesy of Get in travel.
The number of flamingos however depends on the season, during the rains the water levels rise and the lake loses its alkalinity hence a drastic reduction in the number of flamingos.
Lake Nakuru is a place I would highly recommend, a unique fauna and landscape, hundreds of bird species and one of the best places in the world to view the endangered rhino. The park has much fewer visitors than the Maasai Mara, which means there are instances where you have the place pretty much to yourself.
I would like to thank the folks at KWS who gave me permission to use their photos.
For more information about the park see here.
This week I will be linking up with;
1. Chasing the Donkey’s #SundayTraveler.
2. Noel Morata’s Travel Photo Mondays.
3. Nancie’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday.
Be sure to head there and check them out.
The Author All posts
29 Comments
Amazing photos 🙂
Wow! The waterfalls at the beginning and the animals, wow. Thanks for sharing these photos. Now I want to visit Lake Nakuru National Park!
Oh so many stunning photos! The ones with the zebras, and the antlers of the waterbucks, the pelicans and flamingos are my most favorites. Hope the fence is intimidating and high enough to keep out the poachers!
Great post and amazing photos. Africa is definitely high up on our list for travel in the next couple of years. This looks like an amazing place…thanks for sharing! Glad to have connected via #SundayTraveler – safe travels!
That Tawny Eagle is the most beautiful creature! OMG I had never heard of this specific eagle until just now. I can not believe all of the colors from the feathers to the beak. I was reading some stories on the rhino poaching and it became so horrifying and sickening that I stopped before finishing it. That picture of the water buffalo made me smile because when I was little boy and we would be out in the desert exploring he would say, pointing to the mountains, “The great water buffalo are going to come thundering over those mountains any minute.” Once again I felt like I was there with you, Rachel! 🙂
What a cool place! I’d love to get that close to the rhinos.
Thanks so much for linking up to the #SundayTraveler this week. What a great set of photos _ i hope the zoom was on for those rhinos…
Wow – what an adventure! Superb photos you’ve found too.
Amazing photos Rachel! You are truly a wonderful photographer, you captured some great moments. I can’t get over the amount of flamingos, I personally don’t like them too much (the smell) but wow! Wonderful pictures as always and everytime I look at one of your posts it makes me want to visit Kenya ASAP!
These photos are amazing – especially the one of the zebras in the field and the lions! Lake Nakuru definitely looks like a great safari spot that I’d love to visit!
That mass of flamingoes is the most amazing…I love all the photos and I love safaris…maybe it’s almost time for another one!
Wow, I was going to say the rhino pic with the flamingos in the background was my favorite, but then I got to the hippo….and I have a weird obsession with hippos. Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler! 🙂
A wonderful collection of photographs. Capturing the tawny eagle with his wings up is wonderful. But there are so many good ones – like the flamingos and how spectuacular are the zebras white and black perfection against that green background!
What a fantastic set of photos and the fact that you can do the park as a one day safari is amazing. I would love to go. I’ve done a safari in Namibia and Tanzania but I wasn’t into photography at the time.
I would have never thought that the first photo with the zebras and then the photos of the waterfall were taken in the same park. They seem so different. Lake Nakuru is appealing in that you can see so many animals in one day. I’d love to see that big mass of flamingoes.
What an amazing set of photos… I went only once on a safari in South Africa. I would love to experience Lake Nakuru for myself. Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler.
Love all these wildlife photos! This park s just amazing and this is why a safari is at the top of my list. What an incredibly scenery. My favorites are anything with flamingos! I’m a sucker for them.
Stunning pictures! Nakuru is a wonderful place with an amazing wildlife!
Seeing your photos makes me want to take that Kenya safari I’ve been dreaming about. The flamingos alone would make it highly worthwhile. Amazing photos, as usual, Rachel! Enjoy your weekend.
I am amazed by a great variety of flora and fauna here. So so beautiful!
Lake Nakuru is a shallow firmly antacid lake set in a pleasant scene of encompassing forest and meadow. Nakuru is likewise the huge example of overcoming adversity for rhino. The recreation center was the center of ‘Rhino Rescue’, the philanthropy committed to sparing the world’s rhinos, which paid for and manufactured the electric fence that now encompasses the recreation center. Nakuru is likewise legitimately celebrated around the world for panthers. Around alternate species which multiply in the recreation center, the most great are the bison, giraffe and water buck. There are likewise very nearly 500 types of fledglings incorporating potentially the most elevated convergance of the excellent as far back as anyone can remember peaked falcon anyplace.
What a great place to visit. Amazing shots.
Hi Rachel, thanks for this delightful post. I felt like I went on safari to Lake Nakuru myself! Such amazing photos. I love the photos of punk flamingoes; they took my breath away. Would love to visit this park someday.
Wish I found this blog longer before I had to East Africa with my wife. Great info & pics… Looking forward to exploring this ourselves in the coming weeks!
Too bad that we don’t visit these places and they are too close to us. Nice Pic! Nice info
Wow! Amazing photos Rachel! Just had to share this with my facebook friends
[…] Africa, the black and white rhino. I recall back when I was younger while on a school trip to the Lake Nakuru national park I was convinced that I had seen a white rhino because I thought white rhinos are actually white. […]
[…] Download Image More @ https://www.safari254.com […]
[…] Download Image More @ https://www.safari254.com […]