LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK

Originally declared a national park because of a superbly diverse bird population, which includes many migrants, Lake Nakuru National Park is also a favorite place for travelers to seek the rare black rhino. However, it is for the flamingos that the lake is best known, and it was for their protection that the park was originally created. The level of the blue-green alkaline waters here varies and this, with other accompanying environmental changes, causes considerable variation in the flamingo population. But when they are present and masse, the whole lake turns a gorgeous rosy pink.

Although protection of the flamingo population on Lake Nakuru was the original rationale for the inception of the national park, further land was included in the early seventies and it is now about 190 sq m. This expansion, which took in a large grassland area, has allowed the park to protect further species. Buffalo, zebra, antelope and both lion and leopard are to be found. The rather less ubiquitous reedbuck and waterbuck are also here as is the glamorously leggy Rothschild giraffe. Temptingly, the black rhino-breeding program that was started in the late eighties, has proved successful and this is an excellent place to view them.

Lake Nakuru is a small national park. There is no need to stay in the area in order to see all that is to be seen. A good day trip may be enough and these can easily be organised from the Lake Naivasha area.