Lake Nakuru National Park: Not what it used to be

August 2, 2015

Nakuru National Park is one of the few places we will re-visit from our 1994 trip. Everything changes though, especially in nature. And there are many changes to Nakuru National Park.

We are picked up early by Philip, our driver and guide. As we enter the park just at light, a full moon is setting. Philip explains the changes in the park.

There are fewer flamingos due to excess rain that changed the lake from salt to fresh water. With the decrease alkalinity there is less green algae for flamingos feed upon, so fewer flamingos. The high water levels has taken away the shoreline where animals grazed. We remember the drive through this park with large numbers of flamingos and seeing a male lion walking along the shoreline. Today, we have to drive a long ways before we see the pink flamingos.

Before it was a given that on safari in this park rhinos would be seen. But after all day searching, we see only one rhino. There are lots and lots of cape buffalo. Philip explains there is a disease affecting the buffalo, we see ashes were dead buffalo are burned and a truck carrying away two dead buffalo. Because of this disease and fear it would spread to the rhino, the rhino have been secretly relocated out of the park.

The park once known for the white rhino now is a park to see cape buffalo, giraffe, gazelles, impalas, a few zebra, and lion if you have the luck of the safari. And birds, it is a great place for bird watchers.

Back from the safari, we go for dinner at an Indian restaurant above and overlooking a supermarket, eating curry and listening to Country Western music on the TV.

With our honeymoon shirts at Lake Nakuru. This is where they filmed the "flying over the flamingo's" scene for "Out of Africa".

The flamingos at Lake Nakuru are much less since the waterlevels have risen and the lake is less salty.

Our excellent guide/driver spots a lioness in a tree, probably scoping out for prey.

View over the lake from the "Out of Africa" viewpoint.

Still plenty of these guys around at Lake Nakuru, but a disease is affecting the herds.

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