After four days of bush camping in the Masai Mara, we look forward to Naishi Guest House in Lake Nakuru National Park. Livingstone the warm and friendly caretaker waits for our arrival and welcomes us like family. He has the fire stoked for heating our shower and the fireplace.
Lake Nakuru
Famous for the millions of flamingos that once flocked to the shore, Lake Nakuru is one of Kenya’s smallest national parks and on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. Due to climate change, floods and extreme variations in the seasons the flamingo’s location can no longer be guaranteed. However, the park has more going for it than flamingos. Lake Nakuru is one of our most memorable places and we could easily spend more time here.
Our Guest House
We love the guest house. Once the home of the park warden, the charming and rustic house is now rented out to guests. Two gorgeous, spacious bedrooms have their own bathrooms and at the back another two single bedrooms with their own bathrooms. The timber kitchen is fully equipped with everything that Sammy our cook needs to cook up a storm. The house has a traditional ‘makuti’ ceiling and slate tiles throughout. The living area features a wood fireplace and leads out to the veranda, which has views of the national park.
It is from the veranda that we see a lion. Unfazed by being so close to the guest house, he sits about 50 metres away and watches us. Due to his cub-chewed ears, scarred body and weary eyes it looks like he has seen his share of battles. It is sad that he is probably on his own now after being ousted from the pride by younger males.
Acacia trees surround the guesthouse and from our bedroom, we watch the vervet and colobus monkeys climb the trees. The windows on the house have security bars to keep the vervets out. At night we sleep with the windows open to the icy chill of the savannah and the deep, throaty roaring of the lions.
Our Days
We leave the cosy guest house at dawn for our first safari. With the chilly breeze blowing in our faces, it’s exhilarating watching the sunrise and our first wildlife encounters of the day. After a couple of magical hours, we go back to the guest house and have breakfast. Sammy cooks the most mouth-watering breakfast of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes with fresh fruit that we bought at the local markets. We do another safari after breakfast and return to relax around the guesthouse and have lunch during the hottest part of the day. In the afternoon, we do another drive and stay out in the park until after sunset. At night we relish Sammy’s cooking and afterward we all sit around the fireplace, reminiscing over the day’s safaris over local beers.
Rothschild Giraffes
We could spend days here driving around watching the Rothschild Giraffes. Endangered and only a few hundred of them left, they were brought here from the west of Kenya in an effort to conserve them. Unlike the Masai and Reticulated Giraffe, they have no markings on their legs but have cute ‘white socks’.
When we see a giraffe herd with two babies who are no more than one month old and a newborn baby, we are spellbound and spend hours watching them.
The two older babies run around and play. They are so cute with their long gawky and spindly legs. We are not sure if they are twins or with an adult on nursery duty, but whoever she is, she takes guard duty seriously and watches us closely.
Newborn Baby Giraffe
In the same group, a baby is born. At only a few hours old, she still has her umbilical cord and her little body is all out of proportion. Her beautiful dark chocolate eyes look over at us and she is aware of our presence. Mum’s long neck bends over and she tenderly licks her newborn’s orange-spotted coat.
The mother bonds and guards her vulnerable baby, and she is ready to kick with her powerful legs anything that comes close. She makes an exception when receiving congratulations from other giraffes and the frisky older babies who want an introduction with their soon-to-be playmate.
The Wildlife
Zebras, impalas, waterbuck, buffalo and rhino graze in the golden grasslands. A group of bachelor male impalas try unsuccessfully to take over a harem of girls. From the open grasslands, it changes to more dense forest and bush landscape. Cheeky baboon gangs look for trouble while sitting on the roads and watching the vehicles go by. Two lionesses intently watch us while they laze in the tree branches and cute jackal pups poke their heads out of their den beside the road. A leopard lazily reclines in a yellow barked acacia tree unaware of the excitement he’s caused. The rare Rothschild giraffe chomps on the leaves in the acacia tree forest, shadowed by rocky cliffs and hills.
The park has the largest population of rhinoceros in Africa which includes the black and white species translocated here in an effort to protect them and monitor for poaching. We see many white rhinos but no black rhinos as they are more difficult to spot and prefer the dense bush area whereas the white rhinos prefer the open plains.
One morning we were so close to a group of five rhinos that we coulf hear their little sounds. Squeak Squeak. When you are that big you can get away with sounding like a little toy!
Lake Nakuru is also one of the best parks to spot leopards and we see two during our visit. One was up a tree and the other hiding in a bush. He watched Impalas play right in front of him while they were oblivious to his presence. These leopard encounters were a real bonus because they were the most unexpected of all our sightings.
Lake Nakuru National Park is a small park, but it has a lot going for it. Most tourists visit here on a day trip and overnight en route to Masai Mara without spending much time. This is a shame because though different, we see just as much wildlife here as in the Masia Mara. Because Lake Nakuru is fenced to protect the endangered giraffes and rhinos, there are no elephants here.
Though the park doesn’t have the flamingos it once had, hundreds of species of birdlife and other wildlife still flock here. It also has the added bonus of being away from the crowds which makes all our sightings crowd-free and mostly on our own.
Our guide and driver was Martin Maina from Nairobi Specialist
Naishi Guest House is self-catering and owned by Kenya Wildlife Service.
Camping is also available in the National Park
Lake Bogoria
The flamingos at Lake Nakuru weren’t accessible during our visit. Martin our guide makes a phone call and confirms they are at Lake Bogoria, one of the lakes they have migrated to which is a couple of hours away.
We have the option of leaving Lake Nakuru in the early morning for a day trip or camping overnight at Lake Bogoria, so we decided to camp at Lake Bogoria. This makes it possible to visit the Pokot tribes around the Lake Baringo area.
Rarely visited by outsiders, it is a unique cultural insight because they have mostly stayed with their traditional ways. It is a very interesting and humbling experience to visit the village and learn about the tribe’s culture and how they live their daily lives in the harsh arid land.
Though the flamingos are nowhere near the numbers they once were, the sight of these leggy, pink birds on the shoreline is enchanting as they come together from all directions in a display of colours from candy pink to burnt orange.
If spooked, the sky becomes a shimmering pink congregation when they flock together as one to the middle of the lake. Once settled and assured there is no threat, they begin the process of marching in unity back to the shoreline.
Lake Nakuru 2 nights & 1 night camping at Lake Bogoria for Flamingos and Pokot tribe price inclusive for 3 nights
Lake Nakuru Park Fees $160pp
Vehicle 4 days $560
Naishi Guest House $500
Martin’s Fees $200
Sammy’s Fees $100
Lake Bogoria Park Fees $50pp
Lake Bogoria Camp Fees $10pp
Fuel $140
Our Groceries, Beer & Misc. $100
The total price per person is about US $1020
Lake Nakuru 3 nights & morning visit to Flamingos at Lake Bogoria price inclusive for 3 nights
Lake Nakuru Park Fees $240pp
Vehicle 4 days $560
Naishi Guest House $750
Martin’s Fees $200
Sammy’s Fees $100
Lake Bogoria Park Fees $50pp
Fuel $140
Groceries, Beer & Misc. $100
Total price for this package about US $1215
Read more about our Kenya trip
Nairobi Elephant Orphanage
Elephants of Ithumba
Our Ultimate Camping Safari in the Masai Mara
The Perfect 14 Day Kenya Itinerary
Practical Tips for Visiting Kenya: Guide for First-time Visitors
Absolutely amazing! I actually have a friend looking at going over to visit the giraffes and I was wondering if you’d be able to reccomend the best places to go?
Thanks Braeden. There were Giraffes at both the Masai Mara and Nakuru. Masai & Reticulated Giraffes at the Masai Mara and the Rothschild at Lake Nakuru. During a few days stay you will see them for sure.
Absolutely amazing and beautiful photography! I love to follow your adventures through your photos!
Thanks for your comments and following us Samantha!
You really do a wonderful job Of describing everything . Your photography is always so amazing. I love to see your photos after every trip you do. Keep it up. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Dianne. We try and describe it exactly how it was – magical. Thanks for reading our blogs.
What a special experience to capture a baby giraffe. Thank you for opening my eyes to a “different” perspective of Africa. This national park looks so different and lush. Amazing.
Hi Vicky. Lake Nakuru shouldn’t be left off the itineray for a trip to Kenya. It is a beautiful little park. All the parks are different and can’t be compared. We found you could get close to certain wildlife in Masai Mara that you couldn’t in Nakuru and vice versa. Make sure to put it on your list! Thanks for visiting our site and your comments.
Wow!
Great pictures, great stories, and great fun!
Thanks Shannon!
Wow, you two take such incredible photos. It was such a pleasure having the opportunity to meet you while in Thailand. That Waterbuck is so beautiful. Hopefully our paths will cross again sometime.
Great to hear your comments Giselle and Cody. We were just talking about you the other day, saying exactly the same thing. We hope our paths cross again soon in our travels. Thanks so much!
Thank you for taking me on this adventure with you through your photos! I was unable to visit Lake Nakuru when we were there. We had wanted to go and see the flamingos as well. With photos like these, this area is definitely on my list for my next visit!
Hi Julie. Thanks once again for your comments. We were lucky the Flamingos were at Lake Bogoria and also lucky that we had Martin for our guide because he tracked the Flamingos down! On your next visit definately leave a day open for the possibility of sighting them.
How intimate and beautiful You make any part of the world you are in. But you have outdone yourselves this time! It is so special! And easy to see that this is a dream trip for you. Your intro blog shows the anticipation of discovery, the love! And the photography unfolds it brilliantly (and wouldn’t disgrace even the famous Attenborough shoots). It is a very real gift to those of us who will never see such wonders in the flesh. Not sure I would have the fibre to ‘relax’ in a (ground floor!) residence with wild lions roaming the yard! But it is brilliant to share the experience through your eyes. I doubt I would see the souls of the animals as you do, through my own. Aww the baby giraffe is so precious! Well done. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Marie! Lake Nakuru is a special place to visit and it’s not hard to make it look beautiful. Once you are there listening and seeing the Lions and other wildlife it is very exciting and you don’t worry about it at all.
That is one memory that stands out to us, the Lions so close to our guest house and listening to them roaring at night from our cosy bedroom!
Such GREAT pics – so wonderful – thanks guys — do you sell images so I can use online ?
Hi David. Thanks for your comment & visiting our website. All our images are for sale in digital format too. Please get in touch with us, as we would love to work something out with you.
Very amazing pics, and story, the leopards one are my favourite!!
Thanks William. The Leopard is one of our favourites too! Lake Nakuru is beautiful & worth putting on your list.