Nakuru is a special city with a rich history. The Rift Valley capital is popularly known as a ‘Flamingo City’ thanks to the birds found at the nearby Lake Nakuru.
The city is surrounded by some of the most beautiful tourism sites.
Here is a list of awesome, pocket-friendly, family getaway places to visit for as with as low as Sh600:
Lake Nakuru National Park
This is a three in one national park. It provides a beautiful view of Lake Nakuru, and there are wild animals to see.
Adults pay Sh872 and children as low as 250 to enter the park.
The park is located about 140km (90 miles) northwest of Nairobi and south of Nakuru.
It is perfect for day trips from Nakuru or Nairobi or more likely as part of a circuit taking in the Maasai Mara or Lake Baringo for an amazing encounter with wildlife.
Flamingos on Lake Nakuru are a highlight. The birds will steal the show, especially if it is your first time seeing them. There are also several other species of birds.
Making your way to the lookout from Baboon Cliff is a must, with views out over the sea of the pink birds. When they take to the skies, it is an amazing scene.
Almost every visitor travelling to Africa for game viewing hopes to see a rhino. The good news is that this is one of the most vital rhino habitats in Kenya and sightings of the giant herbivores are expected.
Other majestic beasts to be found here are lions, rhinos, zebras and buffaloes.
The park was designated a bird sanctuary in 1961, extended to 6,000 hectares in 1964, before 63 square kilometres were gazetted in 1968.
It was extended to its current size of 188 square kilometres in 1974 with generous funding from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
In 1984, it was established as the first government-managed rhino sanctuary.
In 1987, it was declared a Ramsar site because of its importance as a wetland, and recently as a Unesco World Heritage Site alongside lakes Bogoria and Elementaita.
Menengai Crater
The Menengai Crater is one of Kenya’s most intriguing destinations, with spectacular scenery.
The site attracts thousands of visitors from across the country and the globe.
People travel from as far away as Uganda, Nigeria, Britain, India Western Kenya and the Coast to congregate in caves for prayers.
The crater is believed to be a spiritual place and people spend time there praying and contemplating – and those who have spent time there say they have felt the presence of God.
The crater is located about five kilometres north of Nakuru city and a visitor can access it by car.
It is among the largest surviving volcanic craters in the world, with a surface area of 90 square kilometres.
Attractions at the caldera include views of both Lake Nakuru and Nakuru city, hikes and nature trails, caves and picnic spots.
It is a perfect spot for hiking. Visitors can climb the walls of the crater via a long murram road strewn with huge rocks to a roadblock guarded by Kenya Forest Service officers.
Visitors pay at least Sh200 to be allowed to enter the site, which is surrounded by lush forest.
There are numerous flowering plants and grasses, Kirk’s dik-diks and slender mongooses. There are also black-faced vervet monkeys, tree hyrax and mountain reedbuck.
It is also home to Verreaux’s eagle, the Abyssinian ground hornbill and the African marsh harrier and other forest bird species.
Lake Elementaita
Never seen pelicans? They are found here in plenty.
Heaven’s Gate, which overlooks the lake in Gilgil constituency, is also an exciting place that is managed by a church.
At this tranquil spot, Christians can spend a few days fasting and praying undisturbed.
It offers magnificent views of the lake and beyond as it is at the top of a hill.
With guesthouses, a hall for prayers, watchtowers and beautiful landscaping, the place is like a magnet for pilgrims in search of a calm spot to pray or fast.
Located in a semi-arid area, Lake Elementaita occupies 18 square kilometres and boasts wildlife such as zebras, antelopes, giraffes and jackals.
The lake is a popular safari destination for bird enthusiasts, with visiting greater and lesser flamingos that feed on the lake’s crustacean and insect larvae and its suspended blue algae, respectively.
Others are pelicans, kingfishers, marabou storks and crested grebes.Some 450 species of birds have been recorded at the lake.
It was added to the Ramsar list as the fifth wetland of international importance.
At the southern end of the lake lie the Kikopey hot springs, where tilapia grahami breed.
The hills surrounding the lake and the acacia forest makes this area dramatic and suited for hikes, picnics and nature walks.
Near the lake are other attractions, including the Delamares’ Soysambu Conservancy and the Kariandusi prehistoric site.
The area also has hotels like the Sentrim Elementaita Lodge, Sirville Lake Elementaita and the Lake Elementaita Serena Camp.
Lake Elementaita Mountain Lodge, the newest four-star facility, was set up a year ago.
Located off the Nairobi-Nakuru highway overlooking Lake Elementaita, near Gilgil town, the Sh800 million property features a conference centre, 52 cottages, a restaurant, gym and spa.
It is owned by Superior Homes.
The River Njoro
The river, also known as the Holy Caves of Njoro, has become a revered pilgrimage site for Christians, who see it as the ideal place for prayer and meditation.
It is a lifeline for local communities, while for archaeologists it is a rich repository of culture and traces of medieval human enterprise.
But the river harbours more than just life; for many pilgrims, it is also the Kenyan answer to the River Jordan in the Middle East.
Hyrax Hill Museum
The prehistoric site was named after hyraxes that are found there in abundance, living in cracks in the rocks.
It is located about four kilometres from Nakuru city.
A walk at Hyrax Hill Museum is a good way to spend your holiday and learn about early settlements in Kenya and the Great Rift Valley.
Hyrax Hill depicts the lifestyle of seasonal settlement by prehistoric people at least 3,000 years old.
Its various sites capture the different time periods, with finds dating to the Neolithic period.
Other attractions at the site include picnic and camping sites, nature trail, a picturesque view of Lake Nakuru and a tortoise pit.
The museum is a former farmhouse ceded in 1965 by the late Mr A. Selfe. Artefacts from Hyrax Hill and other sites in the South Rift Valley are displayed here.
Kariandusi
It is situated two kilometres to the east of Lake Elementaita and a few kilometers from Nakuru city. It is one of Africa’s early Stone Age sites and dates back about one million years.
Louis Leakey was the founder of this site and had discovered it in 1928.
Leakey made two more trips to the site in 1931 and 1946 for more research.
Subukia Shrine
This is the most popular tourism site in Nakuru among Christian believers.
Located in the Great Rift Valley Escarpment in Subukia, it is one of Kenya’s major religious sites.
Although it is meant to be a shrine for Catholic pilgrims, the Village of Mary Mother of God is also a major tourist attraction.
The shrine is owned by the Kenya Episcopal Conference and managed by the Franciscan Friars, a Catholic order.
It was named the Village of Mary Mother of God in 1984 by Maurice Cardinal Otunga.
The bus fare to and from the site is at least Sh600, including food.
Other most sampled tourism sites around Nakuru city include the Mizpah prayer centre in Bahati, Lake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate National Park, Lord Egerton Castle, Mt Longonot National Park and Crescent Island.
Nakuru is a rich tourism hub, gradually turning into a religious tourism haven, thanks to its breathtaking sites and facilities, designated among the best getaways in the world, says Mr David Mwangi, chairman of the County Tourism Association.
Nakuru County is richly endowed with natural resources and heritage. From lakes and flamingos to mountains, the list is endless.
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