Lake Naivasha   -   Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru

In the eastern part of the Great Rift Valley, lies Lake Nakuru National Park. It is considered a unique natural spectacle worldwide. The lake has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011 as part of the "Kenyan Lake system in the Great Rift Valley". The drainage-free lake is about 4 meters deep and one of the alkaline soda lakes in the East African Rift Valley. It is the world most famous for it’s numerous flamingos. Inside the lake, the small crabs and white animals feeds on algae which make them receive their pink colour. In the absence of food, the animals switch to other soda lakes such as the Bogoria or the Elmenteita.

The Nakuru Lake is located entirely in Nakuru County, Kenya, about 140 km northwest of the capital Nairobi.

On the northern shore of the lake is the city of Nakuru, with about 300,000 inhabitants and is the fourth largest city in Kenya.

The view over the Rift Valley is breathtaking and the vastness of the country in its different colours is indescribable.

Lake Naivasha

The freshwater lake is located in the eastern part of the East African Rift Valley in the Great Rift Valley and has a catchment area of ​​3200 square kilometres. The lake is home to a remarkable variety of birds. Here, around 300 species of birds are counted, such as ibises, African eagles, goliath herons, marabou, pelicans and cormorants.

Around the lake giraffes, antelopes, hippos, wildebeests, buffaloes and zebras can be seen.

The lake basin is bordered to the north by the volcano Mount Eburru, to the south by the Olkaria volcano complex and the volcano Mount Longonot, to the west by the graben edge of the Mau Escarpment and to the east by the Kinangop plateau and the Aberdare volcano complex (Aberdare Range). Neighbouring lakes are the Aberdare Range in the east, Elmenteita and Nakuru. The main tributaries of the Naivasha lake are the Malewa falls and the Gilgil falls.

The Naivasha Lake is without any underground drainage and is located completely in Nakuru County in Kenya, about 70 km from the capital Nairobi.

The private Crescent Island Wildlife Sanctuary is located on an island in the lake. There, the animals are released for the film shoot "OUT OF AFRICA". From almost every lodge on the lake there are boat connections to the island, combined with bird watching trips. On the island itself, one can walk among the wild animals and among other things and can approach zebras, wildebeests and giraffes up to ten meters. There are no predators on the island, so the only danger is from the hippos in the lake, which leave the lake in the early evening and come to the island.

South of the lake is Hell's Gate National Park. It is relatively small, only 68 km ² park, you can see giraffes, zebras and monkeys. The existing leopards and cheetahs, however, you can hardly see. The centre of the park is Njorowa Gorge (or Hell's Gate). The national park is one of the few that can be safely explored on foot or by bicycle.