Things to do in Nakuru
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Nakuru
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Short dry season, warm and dry, often the best flamingo chance and good migrant birding.
Long rains, muddy park tracks and green scenery, fewer visitors and lower rates, and Makalia Falls at its best.
Long dry season, most reliable game viewing, cool nights, clear views, and peak prices in July and August.
Short rains, greener landscapes and returning migrant birds, with a busy Christmas and New Year domestic peak.
Best things to do in Nakuru
Lake Nakuru National Park
A compact fenced rhino sanctuary around an alkaline lake, with giraffe and lions and flamingos only when conditions suit.
Baboon Cliffs
The park viewpoint over the lake and flooded shoreline, where baboon troops work the picnic area and raid cars.
Makalia Falls
A small waterfall and picnic stop in the south of the park, one of the few places you can step out of the vehicle.
Hyrax Hill Museum
A National Museums site with Neolithic burials and Sirikwa holes excavated by Mary Leakey, on a hill east of town.
Lord Egerton Castle
A 52 room fortress style mansion built from 1938, now run by Egerton University, with lawns made for picnics.
Kariandusi Prehistoric Site
A Lower Palaeolithic hand axe site in diatomite deposits near Elementaita, best paired with Hyrax Hill.
Where to stay in Nakuru
Milimani
best town base, quiet and upscale
Leafy suburb by the State House, a short drive to the park main gate, with the best town hotel and an easy night.
Lake Nakuru National Park
safari first, dawn drives
Sleeping inside the park puts you on the lakeshore circuit at opening time, at in park lodge prices.
Nakuru outskirts and Mbaruk road
self-drivers, quiet and value
Garden lodges and camps south and north of town suit drivers pairing Nakuru with Soysambu and Elementaita.
Think twice about
- Nakuru CBD and bus and matatu terminus after dark
A busy working centre in daylight that empties at night, with petty theft and snatch theft at crowded transport points. Sleep in Milimani or the park and use a hotel taxi after dark.
- Unfamiliar residential estates at night on foot
Unlit streets and no visitor infrastructure. Do not walk them after dark; arrange transport through your hotel.
Best restaurants in Nakuru
Gilani's Restaurant
A long running town restaurant and bar serving Kenyan staples, grills and continental plates in big portions.
Java House Westside Mall Nakuru
Kenya's reliable cafe chain at Westside Mall, for full breakfasts, good coffee, wifi and outdoor seating.
Majid Restaurant
A small Swahili kitchen in the CBD for chicken biryani, pilau and kebabs at local prices, best at lunch.
Bava Restaurant
A cheap halal fast food spot on Kenyatta Avenue for fried chicken, ugali and wings, quick and central.
Outdoor things to do in Nakuru
Menengai Crater
One of Africa's largest calderas just north of town, with rim trails and views down into a forested crater floor.
Soysambu Conservancy
A private conservancy allowing walks and night drives, protecting Rothschild's giraffes on the Elementaita shore.
Hell's Gate National Park
The Kenyan park you cycle through, past cliffs and steam vents among zebra and giraffe, to the Ol Njorowa Gorge.
Crescent Island Game Sanctuary
A boat ride then a guided walk among zebra and giraffe on a predator free island in Lake Naivasha.
Mount Longonot National Park
A steep trail to a 2,776 metre crater rim and a full rim loop, the serious hike of the southern Rift Valley.
Lake Elementaita
A shallow soda lake with pelicans, flamingos when conditions suit, and small hot springs on its shore.
Best hotels in Nakuru
The Cliff - Nakuru
Ten luxury tents on a rock face inside the park, every tent facing the lake, with a pool and spa.
Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge
The established in park lodge of 67 chalets on a hill above the lake, with the easiest dawn lakeshore access.
Sarova Woodlands Hotel & Spa
Sarova's town hotel in Milimani with a heated pool and courtyard restaurant, close to Hyrax Hill and the park gate.
Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
A spacious lodge on the western hills inside the park, reached by a game drive through the park itself.
Ziwa Bush Lodge
A small owner run lodge in makuti thatched buildings in lush gardens, about 20 km from the park.
Punda Milias Nakuru Camp
Camping, bandas and safari tents in shaded grounds with direct access to walks in Soysambu Conservancy.
Is Nakuru expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | KES 9,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | KES 24,000 a person |
| Splurge | KES 65,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lake Nakuru National Park: a few days ahead
- Soysambu Conservancy: a few days ahead
- Hell's Gate National Park: a few days ahead
- Crescent Island Game Sanctuary: a few days ahead
- The Cliff - Nakuru: weeks ahead
- Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge: weeks ahead
- Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge: weeks ahead
- Pay KWS park fees on eCitizen or KWSPay before the gate and screenshot the confirmation, as gate signal is unreliable and cash is not accepted.
- Book in park lodges weeks ahead for July, August, Christmas and Easter peaks.
- Use the full 24 hour park ticket with an afternoon and a dawn drive.
Is Nakuru safe?
- Do not walk in the CBD or around the bus terminus after dark, keep phones out of sight at crowded transport points, and turn around if you meet a demonstration.
- Emergency numbers in Kenya are 999 and 112.
Nakuru travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Any itinerary that guarantees flamingos at Lake Nakuru; numbers swing with lake levels and recent years have often meant far fewer birds.
- A one hour lakeshore loop on a USD 90 ticket, and arriving at the gate expecting to pay cash.
- Driving the Nairobi to Nakuru highway at night to save a hotel night.
Getting around Nakuru: public transport and more
- Nakuru is about 156 to 160 km from Nairobi on the A104, 2.5 to 3 hours in normal traffic, and the highway is two lane with risky overtaking, so travel in daylight.
- You need a vehicle for the park and every excursion; arrange a driver or safari vehicle through your lodge and hotel taxis in town.
- Hell's Gate and Crescent Island combine into one long Naivasha day, about an hour and a half south.
Who Nakuru suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Nakuru your trip
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