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Young Male Lion Surveying his Domain
Kenya’s Lake Nakuru National Park – about 164 kilometres (102 mi) north of Nairobi – protects a number of vulnerable animal populations and part of a unique UNESCO-listed lake system. Nakuru City sits on its boundary.
I was excited about my first day in East African parks. In the few hours we had spent driving around Kenya’s Lake Nakuru National Park, we had seen two of the Big Five and numerous other magnificent wild animals.
The centrepiece and raison d’être of the park, of course, is the lake, known for its abundant birdlife. The lake sits high in the Rift Valley, 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level. Where there was once a single, deep freshwater lake, there is now a system of three relatively shallow alkaline bodies of water: Lakes Nakuru, Bogoria, and Elementaita. As a group (Kenya Lake System of the Great Rift Valley), they were inscribed by UNESCO in 2011, and were called “a natural property of outstanding beauty…”.
Nakuru is in a endorheic basin with no outflow, and in recent years the waters have been rising alarmingly. This has resulted in the displacement of animals and the destruction of property – including the submersion of the main entrance gate and other park infrastructure.
It also meant we had to keep an eye on the skies: afternoon rains could wipe out our access to already-marginal dirt roads.
Still, we enjoyed a lot of animal sightings (see: In Search of the Five #1) and, although I missed out on the fabled flamingos because the winds came up, I did add to my bird count.
I also added to my sightings of the Big Five and the Ugly Five!
Join me around the waters of Lake Nakuru:
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Scenes from a Land Cruiser
A dirt road – vulnerable to the rains and the rising waters – winds down to the lake and disappears.
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Makalia Falls
Because of the recent rains, this little waterfall at the extreme southern end of the park is brown with runoff soil.
Common Warthogs – Phacochoerus Africanus
Nearby, we spot examples of the Ugly Five.
Wallowing Warthogs (Phacochoerus Africanus)
The abundance of rain means there are large puddles everywhere, and the animals don’t have to congregate at the main waterholes to drink or cool off.
Wallowing Buffalo
Not far away, another mud puddle is being appreciated by a large Cape buffalo (Syncerus Caffer Caffer).
African Spoonbill – Platalea Alba
There are always special pictures I didn’t get! When we arrived at the edge of the lake, three flamingos were standing – perfectly reflected in the still waters. My driver, however, was determined to turn the vehicle around. By the time he did, the wind had come up to ruffle the surface of the water, the flamingos had scattered, and I had to content myself with other birds.
Marabou Storks – Leptoptilos Crumenifer
These large birds certainly qualify for their place on the Ugly Five list!
Black-Headed Heron – Ardea Melanocephala
Flamingos and Great White Pelicans (Pelecanus Onocrotalus)
Lake Nakuru is known for its thousands – sometimes millions – of flamingos: lesser flamingos and greater flamingos. I had to settle for these three – and I’m not sure which kind they are.
African Sacred Ibis – Threskiornis Aethiopicus
Bald Eagle in a Fever Tree
I know: the eagle is almost invisible, but I love the elegant beauty of these trees.
Olive Baboons – Papio Anubis
The baboons are quite at home on the direction signs.
In the Foliage
Baboon Crossing
The animals know they have right-of-way; they are completely unperturbed by our vehicle.
Guides Passing
The drivers and guides all know each other, and always stop to compare notes about what they have seen and which animals are where.
Lions in the Road
This was amazing! Three lionesses were trying to herd ten cubs onto the road.
Herding Cats
The guides believed that because the rains were imminent, the mothers wanted their very-new cubs out of the undergrowth where they would get soaked and soggy. Make sure the volume is up on the following short clip:
Young Male
This male was some distance away from the females and cubs, and is too young to likely have had anything to do with them.
Defassa Waterbucks – Kobus Ellipsiprymnus Defassa
A herd of large antelopes grazes among the acacias.
Male Defassa Waterbuck – Kobus Ellipsiprymnus Defassa
One young male watches us closely – or is he posing? Young males are usually chased out of the main herd as soon as they start developing horns, and group themselves into bachelor herds.
Vervet Monkeys – Chlorocebus Pygerythrus
Pelicans and Dead Trees
Back at the lake, the wind is rising and the rains are close. The effects of the rising water levels – attributed to climate change – are evident. The waters have increased the lake’s reach, swallowed park infrastructure, and killed vegetation.
Yellow-Billed Storks – Mycteria Ibis
These large and long-legged African storks feed in the shallows and mudflats at the lake’s edge.
Great White Pelicans – Pelecanus Onocrotalus
These massive waterbirds fascinated me; the are quite different in shape and colouring to the Australian pelicans on my estuary at home.
The afternoon was turning to evening, and the impending rain threatened to turn dirt roads to mud. We bid farewell to this delightful park and pointed the Land Cruiser toward town and the evening’s accommodation.
The next day, we had an early morning start for the long drive to the legendary Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Until then,
Happy Travels!
Pictures: 11May2026
