Nakuru attractions leave visitors spoilt for choice
Visitors savour a good view of the Menengai Caldera. The crater is one of the many tourist attractions in Nakuru. FILE PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH |
What you need to know:
- From lakes to archaeological sites, county has it all.
- More than ten tourist attraction sites are spread around the Great North Road.
Nakuru County, the home to the world’s second largest caldera, is the most endowed in matters tourism.
By God’s design or human efforts, more than 10 other tourists attractions are spread around, only a few kilometres from the Great North Road.
The county’s beauty attracts tourists from far and wide and they are not disappointed when they get down to the point-by-point visits.
Meandering down the Mai Mahiu road, the open top of Mt Longonot and the glittering waters of Lake Naivasha come into view, embracing visitors’ gaze.
A few kilometres drive into the county and one gets spoilt for choice amongst Lake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate National Park, Mt Longonot National Park and Lake Oloiden, a salt lake.
Bird watchers, wildlife lovers, adventurers, leisure and educational tourists have plenty to sample.
Walking through the Ol-duvai Gorge where numerous world-acclaimed movies among them Lion King and Sheena, were filmed is a rewarding experience for adventurers, not to mention the boat rides on Lake Naivasha.
Towards Nakuru along the highway, one encounters yet another attraction- Lake Elementaita. It is among the 129 world heritage sites designated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and is home to hundreds of bird species.
It also hosts millions of migratory birds which include the beautiful larger and lesser flamingos.
On the other side of the highway, right opposite Lake Elementaita is the Kariandusi Museum, an archaeological and prehistoric site with artefacts made of volcanic and obsidian rocks.
Still along the highway, less than three kilometres into the populous Nakuru town is another pre-historic site, the Hyrax Hill Museum which draws its name from the many hyraxes that lived there.
Bordering Nakuru town on the south is the world famous Lake Nakuru National Park, home to millions of flamingos.
To the North of Nakuru town is the Menengai Crater - the world’s second largest caldera after Ngorongoro in Tanzania. It covers an area of 90 square kilometres, 12 km in diameter and 485m deep.
To the west are the Njoro Caves, another pre-historic site and the Lord Egerton Castle Museum, which all add to the visitors overflowing menu of tourist attractions.
Do you know of a place that captures the beauty, warmth and the distilled essence of our country? Can you write crisply and take captivating pictures? Send your write-up and pictures to [email protected]
