All 5 in 3 days here: ~90%
Lake Nakuru National Park
🇰🇪 Kenya
East Africa, Kenya 1246 spp. recorded
Lake Nakuru National Park sits within the Rift Valley of Kenya, featuring a protected tropical savanna landscape of open grasslands, dense acacia woodlands, and rocky cliffs. This protected wetland basin combines shallow shorelines with dry rolling hills, offering varied terrain for walking tracks and vehicle safaris.
-0.380° S 36.094° E
🦜 Nature
505 Species sighted
60,730 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Apr Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 611 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~10%
All 5 in 3 days here: ~10%
Recent sightings in Lake Nakuru National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
63Jan
63Feb
70Mar
77Apr
63May
62Jun
62Jul
66Aug
68Sep
63Oct
69Nov
64Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Lion Hill Lodge
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 839
🐒 Mammals 256
🦎 Reptiles 113
🐸 Amphibians 38
1246 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
49 Threatened 5 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
5.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
74% 📊
Coverage (267 species at ≥5% of 1246 in the inventory)
21% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (7 bird, 5 mammal)
65% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
205 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
28 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
59 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
5.0
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Low High
Trails Easy High
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
But we would see impalas, antelopes, waterbucks, and more over the coming days.
Great White Pelican……from a distance they do look like pink flamingos! …love giraffes pretty swishy ponytails Apparently, you’re more likely to spot rhino at Lake Nakuru National Park, but I don’t remember seeing any, I saw them at both Masai Mara and Nairobi National Parks.
After freshening up, we walked around the lush grounds stopping to admire the view of Lake Nakuru.
On day 3 of our African adventure we drove over 5 hours from Nairobi to Lake Nakuru.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Lake Nakuru National Park?
1,246 species
Lake Nakuru National Park has 1,246 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Great White Pelican (about 80%), Olive Baboon (about 80%), Egyptian Goose (about 80%), African Fish-Eagle (about 80%) and Impala (about 80%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Leopard Tortoise (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Lake Nakuru National Park for wildlife?
April, June and August
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in December.
Can you see a Lesser Flamingo in Lake Nakuru National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Flamingo sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, based on 824 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January, March–April, July–September and November (about 70%).
Can you see a White Rhinoceros in Lake Nakuru National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a White Rhinoceros sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, based on 230 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June–October and December–March (about 70%).
Can you see a Northern Giraffe in Lake Nakuru National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Giraffe sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, based on 233 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March and August (about 80%).
Can you see a Lion in Lake Nakuru National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Lion sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park on a given day, based on 114 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April (about 70%).
Is Lake Nakuru National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Lake Nakuru National Park rates 4.8/5: 17th of 316 parks worldwide and 11th in Africa. 70 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
