Nakuru County
Lake Nakuru
Source: County Government of Nakuru (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
The county government lists Lake Nakuru National Park among the parks in the county.
Photo: Syllabub · CC BY-SA 3.0 · original
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About Lake Nakuru
A national park around a very shallow, strongly alkaline lake, famous for its flamingos and a sanctuary for black rhinos.
Source: Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
Flamingo numbers rise and fall sharply and unpredictably.
Highlights
- Flamingos on the lake — numbers vary widely from year to year
- A sanctuary for black rhinos, with southern white rhinos too
- About 450 bird species, plus lions and a few cheetahs
Source: Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
The source was last assessed in 2011; wildlife numbers change.
More photos of Lake Nakuru
See all 4 in the gallery ›
Suggested time
At least 1 day
KenyaPlus editorial guidance for a comfortable visit, not an official rule.
Confirm before booking
- Park entry fees, opening hours and payment methods
- Whether flamingos are present in numbers during your dates
KenyaPlus does not yet hold verified data for these.
When to go
Rain affects travel in Kenya, especially on unpaved roads. Here is the yearly pattern and the current forecast for Lake Nakuru, both from the Kenya Meteorological Department.
- January: between the rains.
- February: between the rains.
- March: long rains.
- April: long rains, expected peak.
- May: long rains.
- June: between the rains.
- July: between the rains.
- August: between the rains.
- September: between the rains.
- October: short rains.
- November: short rains.
- December: short rains.
- Long rains
- Short rains
- Between the rains
- Expected peak (2026 outlook)
A summary of Kenya's national rainfall pattern from the Kenya Meteorological Department: long rains March to May (with the peak in April inland and May on the coast, as KMD expected for 2026) and short rains October to December. Other months are shown as between the rains. Rain varies by year and place, and between-the-rains months can still be wet.
Forecast: October–December 2026
For Nakuru County, the Kenya Meteorological Department expects above-average rainfall in October–December 2026, with rains already falling from September and continuing into January.
Source: Kenya Meteorological Department (opens in a new tab) · checked 23 Oct 2026
A seasonal forecast, not a guarantee. KMD also issues monthly and weekly updates.
Kenya's rainy seasons
March to May is the main rainfall season — the “long rains” — over most parts of Kenya.
Information status: VerifiedSources: Kenya Meteorological Department: Climate outlook for the 'Long Rains' (March–May) 2026 season (KMD/FCST/01-2026/SO/01) (opens in a new tab); Kenya Meteorological Department: Climate outlook for the 'Long Rains' (March–May) 2025 season (KMD/FCST/01-2025/SO/01) (opens in a new tab) · checked 23 Oct 2026
For the 2026 long rains, the Kenya Meteorological Department expected the peak in April over most regions, and in May along the coast.
Information status: VerifiedSource: Kenya Meteorological Department (opens in a new tab) · checked 23 Oct 2026
October to December brings the “short rains”, a major rainfall season in Kenya.
Information status: VerifiedSource: Kenya Meteorological Department (opens in a new tab) · checked 23 Oct 2026
More in our guide: Best time to visit Kenya.
Park entry fees
Information status: VerifiedLake Nakuru National Park — daily entry
Per person, per 24 hours. Children under 6 enter free.
| Visitor | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| East African citizen | KES 1,500 | KES 750 |
| Kenya resident | KES 2,025 | KES 1,050 |
| African citizen | USD 50 | USD 25 |
| Non-resident / foreign visitor | USD 90 | USD 45 |
Official KWS tariff "Conservation Fees 2025", supplied by the KenyaPlus owner and checked on 17 Oct 2026.
- Listed by KWS as a premium park, with Amboseli.
- Entry is charged per person and is valid for one visit of up to 24 hours.
- Children aged five and younger enter free; the child rate covers ages 5–17, and students up to 23 on an organised visit from their school or college.
- Kenyan citizens aged 70 and over and persons with disability are exempt.
- Vehicle charges are extra (from KES 600 a day for a vehicle with fewer than 6 seats), as are camping and activities.
Guides for Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru: flamingos and rhinos
A shallow alkaline lake famous for flamingos, a rhino sanctuary, and what to check before you go.
Kenya park entry fees explained
Who pays which rate at Kenya's national parks and the Maasai Mara, how seasons and children's ages change the fee, and what costs extra.
Lake Bogoria: hot springs, geysers and flamingos
A Rift Valley soda lake with boiling geysers and hot springs, lesser flamingos and greater kudu — part of a World Heritage Site.
Kakamega Forest: Kenya's rainforest
Kenya's only tropical rainforest remnant: hundreds of bird species, forest monkeys, butterflies and walking trails.
Things to do in Lake Nakuru
Photo: Zammerman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Wildlife encounters
Track down Kenya's black rhinos
Four places where checked sources record the endangered black rhino.
Where: Nairobi · Lake Nakuru · Aberdare National Park · Mount Kenya
Photo: Syllabub · CC BY-SA 3.0 · original
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Wildlife encounters
See flamingos and steaming geysers on the Rift Valley lakes
Pink shorelines, hot springs and geysers at Bogoria and Nakuru.
Where: Lake Bogoria · Lake Nakuru
Where next from Lake Nakuru
Close by
Photo: Bett Duncan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Naivashaabout 1 h by road (estimate)
Photo: Arthur Buliva · CC BY-SA 3.0 · original
Cropped from a panorama to 1,920 × 1,080 px and metadata removed. All photo credits
Lake Bogoriaabout 2 h by road (estimate)
Photo: Alexmbogo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Nairobiabout 2½ h by road (estimate)
If you like Lake Nakuru
Photo: Matteo Frigo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Aberdare National ParkAlso good for wildlife, safari
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Maasai MaraAlso good for safari, wildlife
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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SamburuAlso good for safari, wildlife
Thinking of visiting Lake Nakuru?
Add it to a plan and run the Trip Reality Check.
Sources
- County Government of Nakuru (opens in a new tab) — Governor Lee leads campaign to woo tourists to visit Nakuru (checked 16 Oct 2026)
- Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership (opens in a new tab) — Lake Nakuru National Park — Key Biodiversity Area factsheet (last assessed 2011) (checked 16 Oct 2026)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us — we check corrections against the source before changing anything.