by: Peter R Stewart
Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya was established in 1961, and it has grown from just the lake and the mountains around to now include a lot of the savannahs. As a consequence the amount of wildlife to view has increased enormously, making Nakuru a very worthwhile part of any African safari trip. It is at an altitude of 5700 ft, and covers an area of over 188 sq. Kms.
Its height above sea level alone means that the vegetation and wildlife are considerably different than say at Tsavo which is mainly much lower and closer to the sea.
The lake itself is shallow and alkaline, and varies in size from 5 to 30 square kms depending on the time of year. It is the alkaline nature of Lake Nakuru that causes the huge numbers of visitors each year. It is no exaggeration to say that one species more than any other has made the lake famous throughout the world.
Lake Nakuru is best known for the huge stunning flocks of lesser Flamingo, and for many this is the highlight of their Kenya safari holiday, but there is far more to see in the Park than just the pink Flamingos.
The differing environments from the lake itself to wooded and bush grassland, to rocky escarpments and ridges means a great diversity of wildlife.
Hippo of course ca be spotted in the lake along with 400 other species o birdlife, and on the shore, waterbuck, zebra, black and white rhinos, buffalo, leopard, lion, Rothschild's giraffe, warthog, to name but a few, plus large python snakes.
The Lake Nakuru National Park is the only completely fenced national park in Kenya, and is easily accessed by tarmac road from Nairobi, and Naivasha airstrip during the dry season. It is fenced to keep out poachers and so the protected rhino population is growing.
About The Author:
Peter Stewart writes exclusively for http://www.in-kenyasafari.com/ as well as http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com/ and he has in depth knowledge of the places he writes about.
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