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LAKE NAKURU

NATIONAL PARK

An ornithological paradise with over 450 bird species. The park, covering around 188sq km lies on the floor of the Great Rift Valley in Nakuru District of the Rift Valley Province.

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WELCOME TO LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK.

An ornithological paradise with over 450 bird species. The park, covering around 188sq km lies on the floor of the Great Rift Valley in Nakuru District of the Rift Valley Province. The fabulous pink flamingoes over 1.5 million in number. In this park lies the shimmering waters of Lake Nakuru which is packed with the pink flamingoes. The flamingos both the greater and lesser flamingo gather at the lake shoes to extract blue green algae for food forming the pink clouds from far and are main attraction in the park.

Lake Nakuru National Park over the years has grown to become one of the most visited parks in Kenya by travelers annually because of the birds and other great features in the park. Travelers that visit Lake Nakuru Park get to indulge in activities such as bird watching, game viewing, camping, and picnicking on the beautiful rocky viewpoints in the park and many more activities.

Nakuru Kenya National Park was first declared a conservation area for the birds that were Lake Nakuru including the flamingos in 1957 and the conserved area only included Lake Nakuru and small parts of the surrounding areas. This was done to preserve the lake, reduce the pollution of the lake and conserve the bird life that was blooming on Lake Nakuru.

In 1961 the already declared conversed area which is the current southern section of Nakuru National Park was declared a bird sanctuary and different protocols introduced to ensure bird protection in that area were put in place.

 

 

In 1968 Lake Nakuru National Park, was gazetted as one of Kenya’s National parks. This was after the park area was expanded to include the northern savannah lands of the park which saw the park’s total area grow to 188 km2. Also, several mammals were introduced to the park, to diversify the park from just a bird sanctuary to also an animal park.

Lake Nakuru National Park was given the honor of being home to the very rare and endangered Rothschild giraffes in 1977 when the giraffes were brought to Lake Nakuru National Park from western Kenya for conservation and protection. This initiative by the Kenyan government was a boast to its efforts of preserving wildlife in the East African country.

 

 

After the Rothschild’s giraffes, rhinos were also introduced in Lake Nakuru Kenya Park in the 1980s; in a Kenyan government initiative to conserve the endangered rhinos that were drastically declining in number. This was the first of its kind in Kenya and in 1984, Lake Nakuru Park was designated the first government-protected rhino sanctuary in Kenya.To further protect the rhinos from poachers, the Kenyan government erected a 188 km2 electric fence around Nakuru National Park in 1986. This fence was and still serves the purpose of keeping poachers away from Lake Nakuru Park as well as keeping the rhinos within the bounds of the park. After the successful construction of the 188 km2 electric fence and the Kenyan government officially declared Lake Nakuru Park a rhino sanctuary in 1987.

Lake Nakuru National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it’s internationally recognized as an IBA since 2009 for the over 400 bird species living in the park; in 1990 Lake Nakuru was declared a RAMSAR site.

From the history of the park, Lake Nakuru Park evolved, grown, and developed greatly over the years in so many ways which makes it a perfect destination for a safari not to just experience the development of the park but most all to experience the bird life, wildlife and the extraordinary beauty of the this unique park is central Kenya Nakuru town.

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