Three reasons why you should tour Lake Nakuru National Park

Greater Flamingos at Lake Nakuru National Park

By Timothy M Ijala


East Africa was recently voted among the top ten value destinations to be visited by lonely planet magazine. Among the reasons given was because of its richness in wildlife. I could not agree more after recently being in Kenya and touring Lake Nakuru National Park. Here are three why  an African safari to the Park is worth it.

Abundant wildlife. The reason why we visit a national park is to see wildlife. At least in Africa. You are not going to be disappointed if you go for a safari in Lake Nakuru National Park. Great herds of Buffalo can be seen in open areas along with Zebra, Giraffe, Warthogs, Gazelle and Impala. I was surprised to see a Silverback Jackal, a black Rhino and a herd of Southern White Rhino. You can also see lions and leopards on a tour to this  park though I was not that fortunate this time round. Of course a tour to the park is not complete without seeing flamingos at Lake Nakuru.

Proximity to major towns. Lake Nakuru National Park is a few minutes’ drive from Nakuru town and a two hour drive from the city of Nairobi. It means that you don’t have to travel long distances and spend a lot of time and money to see wildlife. Other amenities like accommodation and food are very close by. If you have a day to spare you can go on a safari and enjoy Africa’s rich wildlife by visiting this national park.

Easily accessible. Nakuru is a town linked to other major towns in Kenya by very good roads. The road from the city of Nairobi to Nakuru is excellent and there is a lot to see along the way.  You can stop at View point for a great view of the rift valley. Also the roads within Lake Nakuru National park though not tarmacked are good making the park accessible with both a two wheel and a four wheel drive vehicle unlike many other parks where without a four wheel drive you can easily get stuck.

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MABAMBA SWAMP - An ecotourism site in Uganda

When you arrive at Mabamba swamp you are greeted with a large sign that says it is Ramsar site number 1638. That should say a lot about the place. It being a Ramsar site means that it is a wetland of international importance.  Mabamba Swamp is an ecotourism site not far off from Kampala city. It is famous for its 200+ species of birds including the rare Shoebill stork. The 30km drive to the site after turning off the Entebbe-Kampala highway is admittedly not very exciting.  Nor is the area around the booking office. Not until you are powering through the water channels on a bird watching trip do you begin to appreciate the place for what it has to offer. The trip is an adventure in itself as you go from one channel to another in a dugout canoe searching for some rare bird species.

I was intrigued at the many bird sightings in the short time I was there, birds that I had never seen before. I saw a couple of purple herons and plenty of Squacco herons which were hard to photograph as they took to the sky as soon as you got near them. I was amazed at the size of the Spur Winged Goose as it took to the sky whenever we approached it. Our very knowledgeable guide said it was a rare sighting.  That is another thing you will appreciate about the guides. Their experience of the birdlife is vast. Our guide told me that he had been guiding for about 10 years. Other birds I saw included the long tailed Comorant, African Jacana and the Malachite and Pied Kingfisher. Many of these birds can be photographed at close range so I did not need to use my telephoto lens which when attached to the camera is quite heavy.

A day trip safari to Mabamba swamp is well worth the time. Uganda with its many attractions  is well known for hosting a large number of bird species and I was not left in doubt of this after visiting Mabamba swamp.

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Why Nairobi National Park is great for an African Safari

I love going on safari. I have been to National Parks on safari in Uganda and East Africa and I never miss an opportunity to go on a tour when I can.

So it was with this in mind that I found myself on a bus to Nairobi National Park. I had some free time and as I was walking through the busy city of Nairobi I spotted a bus with the words Nairobi National Park written in bold on it. This bus was run by the Kenya Wildlife Service. A few inquiries later I was on board the bus. Was I glad that I had carried my camera!

A few more passengers later and we were on our through the busy traffic heading for the park. Unlike many wildlife safaris I have done which require hours of driving, it took us less than half an hour to get to the park entrance. Having paid the entrance fee and picked up a few more passengers, we started our game drive.

The beauty of Nairobi National Park is that on any game drive, there is plenty of wildlife to see from birdlife to big game. Of course on an African safari it is always thrilling to see the big cats. However I did not think I had the chance on this safari so I was content to see what I could see.

And I was not disappointed. Seeing Eland grazing against the backdrop of the city reminded me that this was the only national park in the world which is found in a capital city.
 As we drove on I spotted and photographed a Secretary bird moving in the long grass. Gazelles, wildebeest and a large herd of buffalo grazed peacefully under the afternoon african sun. However the best was soon to come.

As we drove by a tree our guide spotted something and stopped the bus. It was a lioness. Seeing a lion was good enough but seeing it lying in a tree? Boy oh boy was I excited.  And my camera when click, click, click. The lioness just lay still as if allowing us to photograph it to our hearts content.

We spent about ten minutes by the tree until it was time to move on and give others a chance to see the lion at close range.

 As we drove back to town I was happy that I had climbed on to that bus and spent a few hours on an African safari in Nairobi National Park.

Lioness in Nairobi National Park

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What you can see at Lake Mburo National Park Uganda

Impala at Lake Mburo National Park

Just four hours from Kampala close to the highway to that leads to Mbarara and western Uganda is Lake Mburo National Park. The name comes from Lake Mburo which is in the Park. It is one of the parks operated by Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Your game drive starts shortly after you turn off the main highway and head towards the Park. Zebras are a common sight and so are Impala which are found nowhere else but in Lake Mburo National Park. Other antelopes include Topi and Bushbucks. Herds of Buffalo can also be seen in this park. Activities in Lake Mburo National park include bird watching, game drives, game walks and a boat trip on Lake Mburo. The park has abundant bird life including the rare African Finfoot, and the giant African Fish eagle. The restaurant by the Lake is a great place to view and photograph birds.
Accommodation varies from the campsite by the Lake to top end luxury tented camps Mihingo Lodge and Mantana Tented Camp. Uganda Wildlife Authority also operates a budget tented camp.If you have a chance to use the campsite by the Lake you will enjoy the company of warthogs, herds of impala and a night visit from the hippos which make their way at night from Lake Mburo to feed.

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