Things to see
Rhinos and flamingos at Lake Nakuru, a giant crater above the city, prehistoric sites, World Heritage soda lakes, the hippos of Lake Naivasha and the cliffs and volcanoes of Hell’s Gate and Longonot. Here are the places worth your time.
Nakuru, Kenya’s newest city, sits between the lake and the crater. Lake Nakuru National Park begins at the edge of town, Menengai rises to the north, and prehistoric sites and a colonial castle lie a short drive away.
National parkRhinos, giraffes and flamingos
A fenced park around a soda lake on the edge of Nakuru, home to black and white rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffes, lions, buffalo and more than 450 kinds of birds, including flamingos and pelicans.
VolcanoA giant caldera above the city
One of the largest volcanic calderas in Africa, just north of Nakuru, with a viewpoint on the rim, lava fields on the floor and hiking trails down into the crater.
MuseumThousands of years of settlement
A small museum and archaeological site on the edge of Nakuru, where Neolithic and Iron Age settlements, burials and a stone game board have been excavated.
Historic houseA colonial castle at Njoro
A stone mansion built in the 1930s and 1940s by the British aristocrat Lord Egerton near Njoro, west of Nakuru, now looked after by Egerton University and open to visitors.
Heading south-east along the Nairobi road, the shallow soda lake of Elementaita lies below the Sleeping Warrior hill, near one of East Africa’s oldest stone-tool sites. Further on, freshwater Lake Naivasha is fringed with fever trees, hippos and lodges.
Soda lakeFlamingos and the Sleeping Warrior
A shallow soda lake between Nakuru and Gilgil, part of the Kenya Lake System World Heritage Site, with flamingos and pelicans, hot springs and quiet lodges on its shores.
MuseumStone Age hand axes
An archaeological site near Gilgil where early humans made hand axes from obsidian and lava, with tools left where they were found and a small site museum.
LakeHippos, fish eagles and boat rides
A large freshwater lake in the south of the county, about two hours from Nairobi, with hippos, fish eagles, boat rides, lakeside lodges and Crescent Island.
SanctuaryWalk among giraffes
A private wildlife sanctuary on a crescent-shaped peninsula in Lake Naivasha, where you can walk among giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and antelope with a guide.
South of Lake Naivasha, the cliffs and gorges of Hell’s Gate and the cone of Mount Longonot are two of the best places in Kenya to explore on foot or by bike. To the north, Lake Bogoria and Thomson’s Falls make long day trips from Nakuru.
National parkCycle among the zebras
A small park of red cliffs, volcanic towers and a deep gorge south of Lake Naivasha, where you can walk or cycle among zebras, giraffes and buffalo.
VolcanoHike a crater rim
A dormant volcano rising to 2,776 metres above the Rift Valley floor, with a steep trail to the rim and a walk around a forested crater.
Day tripGeysers and flamingos
A soda lake about two hours north of Nakuru in Baringo County, with hot springs and geysers on its shore and, often, huge numbers of lesser flamingos.
WaterfallA 74-metre drop
A waterfall at Nyahururu, about 1½ hours north of Nakuru, where the Ewaso Narok river drops into a forested gorge, with a path down to the bottom.
Nakuru County runs along the floor of the Rift Valley, and the A104 highway links almost everything. Base yourself in or near Nakuru for the north and in Naivasha for the south.
Stop at Lake Elementaita and the Kariandusi prehistoric site, then continue to Lake Naivasha for a boat ride.
Cycle through Hell’s Gate one day and hike Mount Longonot the next.
The national parks are run by Kenya Wildlife Service and charge conservation fees, paid electronically. Read our three-day itinerary.
Plan your Rift Valley trip
Track rhinos and Rothschild’s giraffes at Lake Nakuru, cycle past zebras in Hell’s Gate, take a boat among the hippos of Lake Naivasha or hike the crater rim of Mount Longonot. Compare tours and book in a couple of taps.