Nakuru is a town with over 2 million people and located in the northwest of Nairobi, in the Great Rift Valley.
Below, I give you the reasons why with our the best things to do in Nakuru.
Let’s start!
Visit Lake Nakuru Park
The beautiful lake Nakuru National Park is located on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by wooded and bushy grassland.
It is beautiful any time of day but particularly beautiful at sunset with the Flamingos looking spectacular against the setting sun.
Visitors can enjoy the wide ecological diversity and varied habitats that range from Lake Nakuru itself to the surrounding escarpment and picturesque ridges.
Lake Nakuru National Park is ideal for bird watching, hiking, picnic, and game drives.
One of the best things to do in Nakuru is visiting lake Nakuru Park.
How to get there
Roads: The park has a tarmac road connection with Nairobi, a distance of 156 km northwest of Nairobi on the main A104 road.
The most commonly used route into the park is via the main gate, 4 km from Nakuru Town Centre.
It is also possible to enter the park from the main Nairobi Nakuru road at Lanet Gate.
The Nderit Gate is used by people accessing the park from Masai Mara or Elementaita.
Airstrips: The Naishi airstrip services the park for tourism and KWS activities.
Park Roads: The park has an adequate and well serviced motorable roads that make most parts of the park accessible.
Park Gates: The park has three gates, Main Gate and Lanet Gate that link the park with the Nairobi-Nakuru highway and the less-used Nderit Gate.
Attractions
Flamingo (Greater and Lesser) and other water birds including a variety of terrestrial birds numbering about 450 species in total.
Mammals: 56 different species including white rhinos, waterbuck, etc.
View-points: Lion hill, Baboon cliff, and Out of Africa
Hills: Enasoit, Honeymoon, Lion hill ridge, etc
Waterfalls: Makalia.
Unique vegetation: About 550 different plant species including the unique and biggest euphorbia forest in Africa, Picturesque landscape, and yellow acacia woodlands.
Cycle with rhino event every September yearly
For park entry fee check: Lake Nakuru National Park
Explore Lord Egerton Castle
Located 14km from Nakuru town, lies the magnifiscent architecture known as Lord Egerton Castle. The castle built by Lord Egerton has a sad love story behind it.
Lord Egerton built the castle for his bride to be in 1938 and it was completed in 1954 after she rejected his wedding proposal stating that the house he lived in then (a six bedroom house) was as small as a ‘bird’s nest’.
Lord Egerton was devastated and heart-broken but nevertheless went ahead with the construction of the castle.
The heart broken Lord Egerton never married, never wanted to see another woman and banned all women from his property.
Today the castle is a property of the Egerton University and oped to tourists.
Our advice is to add this to your things to do in Nakuru bascket.
Hell’s Gate National Park
Located a few kilometers from Lake Naivasha, you will find Hell’s Gate National Park. The Park is popular for its unique geographical features which adds it to the list of things to do in Nakuru.
The neighboring Mount Longonot last erupted in the early 1900s, leaving natural steam vents rising from the fissures left in the volcanic rock and obsidian (a shiny rock formed when molten lava cools).
The area boasts springs and mud pools so hot that the Olkaria Geothermal Station was established in 1981, the first of its kind in Africa.
Hell’s Gate National Park is a remarkable quarter of the Great Rift Valley.
Spectacular scenery including the towering cliffs, water-gouged gorges, stark rock towers, scrub clad volcanoes and belching plumes of geothermal steam make it one of the most atmospheric Parks in Africa.
Hell’s Gate is an ideal venue for a day trip from Nairobi where, in addition to the bio-diversity that includes raptors, visitors can enjoy mountain biking, rock climbing, and a natural spa.
Wildlife
African buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, and baboons are common. The park is also home to klipspringer antelope and Chandler’s mountain reedbuck
Prolific birdlife – there are over 100 species of birds in the park, including vultures, Verreaux’s Eagles, augur buzzard, and swifts.
Climate
Temperature ranges from 20-300 c and rainfall from 200mm – 700 mm, Two rain seasons: Long rains – March & April & short rains – Nov/ December
What to take with you
Drinking water, picnic items, and camping equipment if you intend to stay overnight.
Also useful are: binoculars, camera, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, walking boots and guidebooks
Park Activities: Biking, Bird watching, Camping, Game Viewing, Hiking, Rock climbing
How to get there
By Road: This park is accessible via tarmac road from Nairobi (90kms) via Naivasha Town on the Lake Road South at a junction 5km south of Naivasha
By Air: Naivasha airstrip
Attractions
- Spectacular scenery including the towering cliffs, water-gouged gorges, stark rock towers, scrub clad volcanoes and belching plumes of geothermal steam make it one of the most atmospheric Parks in Africa.
- Wildlife viewing
- Raptor nesting in cliffs
- Hot springs
- The Olkaria Geothermal Station
- The Mervyn Carnelley Raptor Hide
- Tourist circuits, nature trails
- Health spa
Cresent Island Naivasha
One of the memorable things to do in Nakuru is a visit to Cresent Island. There is just one “Crescent Island Game Sanctuary”. Located on Lake Naivasha, in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya.
It is one of the most beautiful parks in Kenya and is Naivasha’s best-kept secret. Surrounded by water, it is a peninsula and is accessible by boat from East or West as well as by road.
So come and spend the morning, afternoon or bring a picnic and spend the whole day with the beautiful birds and graceful animals.
The shores host abundant birdlife including pelicans, cormorants, and fish-eagles with their haunting cry.
There are more animals per acre than any other Kenyan Park, hence many film companies have been to the Island to film the herds of Wildebeest, Waterbuck, Zebra, and Gazelle
Lake Naivasha National Park
If you are looking for things to do in Nakuru, then a visit to the Lake Naivasha National Park should be in your schedule.
The lake which is located in the rising part of the great rift valley floor is also known as “Sheer Adventure”.
Lake Naivasha has unique features like the extinct volcano of Mount Longonot, and the thick forest is found along the mountain.
The park is dominated by umbrella acacia trees that are mostly found along the banks of the lake.
Activities in Lake Naivasha National Park
Game viewing: The available game includes Hippos, zebras, giraffes, waterbuck, and wild beast.
Bird Watching: The park inhibits over 350 species of birds among them Kingfishers, Jacanas, Herons, Flamingos, lovebirds, fisheagles, doves, marabou stork, and weavers.
Horse Riding Safaris: Go for a game drive on a horse to get close to the wildlife. You will have to be escorted by a game ranger as a guide.
Boat cruise
Mount Longonot National Park
Rising from the floor of the Great Rift Valley like a monolith is the extinct volcano of Mount Longonot. A unique feature is a thick forest that lies within the crater of the mountain.
The crater rim also provides great scenic views across the beautiful Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha.
Major wildlife attractions at Mount Longonot include buffaloes, elands, lion, leopard, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffe, and Grant’s gazelles.
Wildlife
Buffalos, Gazelles, Impala, and giraffe
Climate
Temperature ranges from 20-300 c and rainfall from 200mm – 700 mm
What to take with you
Drinking water, picnic items, and camping equipment if you intend to stay overnight.
Also useful are: binoculars, camera, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and guidebook
Activities
Biking, Game viewing, hiking, Rock climbing, Viewing Lake Naivasha, Walking
How to get there
The park is accessible via tarmac road from Nairobi (90 km)
Attractions
Extinct volcano and crater forest, Scenic Landscape, Views of lake Naivasha and the Great Rift Valley.
The park is a paradise for birds of prey and one of the things to do in Nakuru.
Lake Elementaita
Pelican fringed Lake Elementaita is a bird watcher’s paradise encircled by shaggy hills and enveloped in serenity and birdsong.
This alkaline wonder is situated between Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru and lies in the shadow of a hill locally known as ‘sleeping warrior’.
This waterbody forms a part of the Soysambu Conservancy established by Lord Delamere in pre-independence Kenya.
This lake is now one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sights along Lakes Naivasha and Nakuru due to its birdlife fame.
It is less visited than other tourists’ sites which makes it the ideal weekend getaway destination for out of towners.
Over 400 bird species including flamingoes, ducks, geese, spikes, cormorant, and kingfishers can be seen during bird watching excursions.
A visit to Lake Elementaita is a must things do in Nakuru
Lake Oloidien
If you are looking for things to do in Nakuru, then Lake Oloidien is a nust. Its popularly referred to as the flamingos’ paradise, but we saw few. There are flocks of flamingos on the lake at a distance.
Boat rides are ideal. Lake Naivasha’s often overlooked smaller sister, Lake Oloidien is a volcanic crater lake whose name is “salty”.
The secluded lake has a nice beach that offers decent privacy.
For those willing to enjoy a cool breeze, this is the place to be.
There is a restaurant offering affordable food and drinks. There is a big camping site near the lake. Travelers are protected from hippos through the erection of an electric fence.
This is the best place to be for adventure lovers.
You can also read our full guide to Kakamega here or find our guide to where to stay in Kakamega here.
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