Kenya
Lake Nakuru is the showpiece lake of the great Rift Valley that sprawls across East Africa. A relatively small body of water, at least compared many of the rift’s other lakes (especially nearby Lake Victoria), it is nevertheless one of the most picturesque and among the most visited. Abounding with wildlife year round, it is particularly famous for its giant population of flamingos. Lake Nakuru is located within the boundaries of Lake Nakuru National Park.
The waterways of Africa’s Rift Valley mark the place where the earliest humans first walked the Earth. The shores of Lake Nakuru may have been known to prehistoric man more than two hundred thousand years ago. In recent decades it has seen dramatic shifts in water levels, a situation that is being carefully watched. The lake has been a protected area since 1961.
Lake Nakuru is not particularly big, but like other permanent lakes in the region supports an important ecosystem. The rich algae growth in the lake attracts countless flamingos, which can be found crowding the lakeshore throughout much of the year. The lake and the park are also an important protected habitat for both black and white rhinos.
Lake Nakuru is a breathtaking lake, but can easily be overlooked due to the wealth of other wildlife sites that can be found all over Kenya and neighboring Tanzania. Nevertheless a good number of visitors do make the effort to get here, if only to take some photos of/with the flamingos. Web: www.kws.go.ke/lake-nakuru-national-park (official website).
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