Lake Nakuru National Park: A Chicken Watcher’s Paradise

The Rift Valley province in Kenya is household to 7 national parks, such as the two high quality parks as selected by the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS). Lake Nakuru National Park is one of all those top quality parks and will be the topic of this post.

Named the “Hen Watchers’ Paradise” by KWS, Lake Nakuru was initial gazetted as a hen sanctuary in 1961. In 1964, the park was extended to the north, so it now covered the entire lake and a encompassing perimeter. In 1990, the lake was designated as a Ramsar web site – the Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the safety, conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands of global importance, particularly as waterfowl habitat.

Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis, the big foods supply for flamingos, thrives in the lake and supports big numbers of Lesser Flamingo. Both equally Better and Lesser Flamingos and other water birds are observed in abundance, as properly as a huge wide range of terrestrial birds, bringing the selection of species observed in Lake Nakuru National Park to practically 450. There are around 56 mammal species residing in the park like equally black and white rhinos. The park hosts exclusive vegetation which include about 550 various plant species such as yellow acacia woodlands and Africa’s major Euphorbia candelabrum forest.

There are 3 viewpoints in the countrywide park: Lion Hill, Baboon Cliff and Out of Africa. These are selected places wherever you can get out of the car or truck, extend your legs, and get some spectacular pictures of the lake and surrounds. There are also a few hills that are not set up viewpoints (so you should stay in the auto) that also supply sights of the picturesque landscape Enasoit, Honeymoon and Lion Hill Ridge are 3. Lake Nakuru also has a waterfall feeding it at the south stop. Makalia Falls gushes through the damp season and is hardly a trickle in the dry.

There are two public campsites inside the Countrywide Park – a single close to the main gate and 1 at Makalia Falls. Even though Makalia Falls’ locale is preferable, running drinking water is intermittent as are doorways on the bogs. There are also quite a few distinctive campsites dotted close to the park. There are no fences amongst you and the animals in these campsites, so you must be careful when you are cooking and make certain you do it in daylight hrs. Camping expenses are US$25 for non-citizens, 500KES for citizens and 200KES for East African citizens.

To enter the Nationwide Park, the service fees are US$80 for non-inhabitants, 1000KES for East African citizens and citizens as well as 300KES for a compact auto (up to 6 seats). There are toilets, a cafe and a curio shop at the principal gate. Entry permits are legitimate for the working day of entry only, and you must be out of the park by 6pm (or parked at the campsite if keeping overnight). So it can be a very good concept to get in early if you only have just one working day.

Packing a picnic is a price tag-efficient and pretty pleasant lunch selection – the lookouts stated over make good lunch stops, just look at out for baboons! Baboon Cliff and Out of Africa lookouts both of those have bathrooms and coated areas. There is an additional picnic website in the center of acacia woodlands. If you are in the park for just one particular day, Makalia Falls is also a pleasant area for a picnic.

It is definitely worth paying out a working day checking out Lake Nakuru Nationwide Park. As one of Kenya’s quality countrywide parks, it is renowned as the home to hundreds of Greater and Lesser Flamingos. The park also offers sanctuary for Rothschild giraffe, rhino and leopard.