Lake Naivasha National Park is one of the most beautiful places you can consider on your Kenya wildlife safari, it is an important wetland area of the country strategically placed near the capital city of Nairobi. The park is named after Lake Naivasha which occupies most of the area space of the conservation area, the lake is a shallow one decorated with wallowing hippos and a variety of bird species, and it is the second largest freshwater lake in Kenya along the floor of the Great Rift Valley region. The Lake occupies most of the area space of the ecosystem however it is also home to abundant wildlife species.
Lake Naivasha National Park is named by the local Masai People, the park name is derived from the local word Naiposha to simply means “Rough water”, the park was established in 1995, qualifying it as one of the most recent national conservation areas of Kenya, it covers an area space of approximately 140 square kilometers and most of this land area is covered by the fresh waters of the Lake. The growing vegetation of the park comprising a beautiful acacia woodland is home to abundant wildlife species for example elephants, hippos, waterbucks, bushbucks, giraffes, impalas, and dikdik, to mention a few and over 300 species of birds have been recorded most of which are water birds like the lesser and greater flamingoes, that flock the lake beautifully with their bright pink colors.
How to reach Lake Naivasha National Park can be by road or by air, it takes approximately 98 square kilometers a distance of about 2 hours to drive from Nairobi city it is the fastest place to run to from the busy town centers, and time is taken to the conservation area also heavily depends on traffic and weather conditions of the day, it is advisable to use a strong car like a 4×4 wheel car drive in order to beat the tough wilderness. By road, guests can choose to use private means which involve the aid of a tour operator or self-drive, while taking on this option you will be asked to hire a park ranger for safety.
How to reach Lake Naivasha National Park can be by air from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, to Naivasha Airport, flights are operated by domestic flight handlers to the national park on a scheduled charter option, this is the fastest And most effective way of reaching the national park.
How to reach Lake Naivasha National Park is best done during the dry season between the months of December-February and June to September when it is cooler and calmer to travel to the destination, this is also referred to as a high tourism season hence important to make bookings in advance, despite this being the best time to go to the park,it can be visited any time of the year even in the wet season.
In conclusion, Lake Naivasha National Park is a quick stopover en route to the Masai Mara National Park, trips can be combined for better experiences on your Kenyan Safari.