Situated in the heart of the Great Rift Valley 160 kilometers northwest of Nairobi, Lake Nakuru is a bird watcher's paradise. A unique game-viewing venue and a notable spot for the Rothschild giraffe and home to the black and white rhinos. The lake is world-famous as the location of the “greatest bird spectacle on earth” by renowned ornithologist Roger Peterson, for its spectacular bird life particularly the myriads of flamingos that congregate the shallow soda lake together with tens of thousands of other bird species. Lake Nakuru is one of the world's première wildlife destinations.Lake Nakuru was declared a national park in 1961 and covers 188 square kilometers of land of great ecological diversity - from lake water, woodland, bush grassland, to rocky ridges. It is the most accessible and most visited of the soda lakes of the Great Rift Valley. The national park was created mainly to protect the flocks of flamingos and other species in the hills and plains around the lake. Its algae-soaked waters attract the millions of lesser flamingos and the greater flamingos in the park that turn the shores pink.
Apart from the spectacle of the flamingoes, Lake Nakuru National Park offers its visitors great wildlife - a special sighting at the park is a number of rare Rothschild giraffe, trans-located for safety from western Kenya beginning in 1977. Moreover, Lake Nakuru National Park has recently expanded to include a large part of the savannahs to accommodate and provide a sanctuary for both white and the rare black rhino. The park boasts the most number of leopard per square kilometer than any park in Africa. Because of the park's proximity to nearby towns, the park is fenced to prevent the animals from wandering into town and most especially to keep the poachers out, not restricting the movement of wildlife. Nakuru officially became the shelter for protection for these endangered animals in 1987.
At the park, you will also see a healthy population of predators like lions and hyenas, black and white colobus monkeys, hippo and crocodiles, zebra and fish eagles, antelope and buffalo and large-sized python snakes that dwell the dense woodlands. The best vantage point to track the lake shore and watch huge flocks of feeding flamingos is from the Baboon Cliff. Other viewing spots are from Lion Hill and Out of Africa.
Thus, this lake offers one of the world's most spectacular wildlife sights. So if you are looking for the best possible wildlife photography opportunities, Lake Nakuru is the perfect place to be as animals are never out of sight. And if you still have the luxury of time, an overnight stay in here, will definitely complete your safari travel adventure.
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