Why Travel Here
Lake Naivasha is one of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley Lakes, and despite its relative lack of depth, it’s home to numerous hippos and hundreds of bird species – as well as being an important stopover for migratory birds. The lake is best-known for its incredible pink flush of flamingos, but these are merely the icing on the cake.
The landscape surrounding Lake Naivasha consists of an incredible mosaic of swamps (which expand and retreat with the seasons), acacia forests and the high Rift Valley cliffs, which provide nesting sites for many of the area’s bird species.
As with any reliable water source in Africa, Lake Naivasha exerts a magnetic pull on wildlife, making Lake Naivasha safaris a wonderful way to see not just numbers, but a fascinating diversity of species.
Lake Naivasha is a wonderfully dynamic ecosystem; visitors at different times of the year, comparing notes, could be forgiven for thinking that they had in fact been to different places.
Staying at a luxury safari lodge on the shores of Lake Naivasha (an address historically popular with European settlers in Kenya) means that guests find themselves ideally placed to enjoy additional safari adventures, including guided day excursions to Hell’s Gate and lakes Elmenteita and Nakuru.
On the map
Through The Year
By and large, Lake Naivasha tends to follow Kenya’s equatorial four-season plan, although with a few climatic quirks all of its own. Seasons alternate between dry and wet, with one long one of each followed by a pair of similar, but shorter seasons. Lake Naivasha’s swamplands in particular respond visibly to the presence or absence of rains, and the relative abundance or paucity of food and water naturally has a direct impact on wildlife and bird numbers.
The long, dry season is regarded by most people as the optimum time to visit Lake Naivasha, thanks to the drier, cooler weather and the fact that the swamps and the vegetation begin to recede, making wildlife both more concentrated and more visible. With the Great Wildebeest Migration arriving in the Masai Mara, combined itineraries work wonderfully. Unlike most other areas of Kenya, Lake Naivasha can experience rain showers in the dry season, which knock the dust out of the air and give a wonderful clarity to photographs.
The short rains of November bring a welcome greenness to the Lake Naivasha area, as they refresh the swamps and vegetation. Afternoon rainstorms make for a spectacular diversion, while migratory birds begin to arrive in numbers – this is prime birding season in the Rift Valley. Fewer people travel to Lake Naivasha at this time, which means that those who do visit, often get to enjoy very exclusive experiences. After all, sometimes a pleasure shared is a pleasure halved!
The shorter dry season takes Lake Naivasha out of the old year and into the new, and replicates the conditions experienced earlier in the year. In other words, it’s an equally excellent time to be at Lake Naivasha, with the added advantage that migratory bird species are still very much in evidence (right through until March, in fact). Visitor numbers tick up again, and wildlife becomes more concentrated as water becomes scarcer again.
The longer rainy season sees real transformation overtake the Lake Naivasha area, as plants and flowers burst into life, and even the ancient acacia forests seem rejuvenated. The best reason to visit Lake Naivasha at this time is to witness the mass birthing of impala and other antelope species – a profusion of new, wobbly life that does not go unnoticed by predators. This results in both tender bonding moments, and rather grislier scenes of young antelope being pulled apart.
Safari Trips To This Destination
Kenya is the home of safari, where you can truly see it all. This comprehensive safari visits some of the country’s exceptional wildlife sanctuaries, including Amboseli, Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara.
Kenya is the home of safari, where you can truly see it all. This comprehensive safari visits some of the country’s exceptional wildlife sanctuaries, including Amboseli, Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara.
Create lifelong memories on a family safari through magical Kenya. Wildlife Safari custom designs safaris to suit every family.
This 15-day extravaganza is our longest established, signature safari. It’s perfect for the first-time traveller to East Africa.
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