Reviews of Lake Bogoria (From 6 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Philip Briggs –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

3 people found this review helpful.

The Flamingos’ Holiday Home

Overall rating

3/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

The worth of this small reserve depends almost entirely on one factor – the number of flamingoes gathered there. I have visited it twice when there were few flamingoes around, and it was pretty underwhelming, with livestock being more numerous than wildlife, though the lovely setting at the base of the Rift Escarpment provided some compensation, as did the trio of primeval geysers that erupt in a searing sulphuric haze to feed a network of multihued channels on the western shore. But when the million-strong flamingo flocks associated with Nakuru relocate here, it makes for a spectacular sight, whether viewed up close from the lake shore, or panoramically from the cliffs that rise to the immediate west.

3 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Anthony Ham –

AU

Visited: Multiple times

Anthony is a photographer and writer for travel magazines and Lonely Planet, including the guides to Kenya and Botswana & Namibia.

3 people found this review helpful.

Lake Bogoria: The Flamingo’s New Home?

Overall rating

2/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

The massed flocks of greater and lesser flamingos – up to two million in a good year – for years made this one of the best lakes in the Rift Valley to see one of Kenya’s most memorable spectacles. Honking in the shallows and all but concealing the alkaline lake’s waters, the flamingos for the most part stuck close to the shoreline of this 34km-long lake. At the time of writing the number of flamingos was fluctuating greatly from one year to the next. Check with your safari operator or another local source before making a visit here. If the flamingos are indeed present in large numbers, it really is a sight to behold and should on no account be missed. On the other hand, if the flamingos aren’t present, there’s very little reason to visit: thanks to growing human and livestock encroachment into the reserve, you’d be lucky to see zebra, impala or warthog, if indeed you see anything at all. The western shore is also home to hot springs and the largest number of geysers of any lake in Africa.

3 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Emma Gregg –

UK

Visited: December

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

1 person found this review helpful.

Geysers, hot springs and clouds of flamingoes

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Lake Bogoria feels truly wild and otherworldly. When I visited, there was no one else in sight. It’s rapidly growing in popularity, though, as this is one of the best places in Kenya to see flamingoes. Estimates suggest that flocks of up to 1.7 million birds congregate here, especially during the European winter, when migrants gather, creating a shimmering canvas of pink. Few other species tolerate the lake’s inhospitable conditions, but ostriches and greater kudu with majestic corkscrew horns are sometimes seen on the shore. Fiercely alkaline, the lake is visually dramatic even when the flamingoes are out of range, edged as it is with dark, volcanic rock. Natural hot springs steam and bubble on the western side.

1 person found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Ariadne van Zandbergen –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

1 person found this review helpful.

Flamingos and Pelicans in Lake Bogoria

Overall rating

3/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

As the name suggests, Lake Bogoria National Reserve, located in the Rift Valley, is centered around Lake Bogoria. The only road in the reserve follows the shore of the saline, alkaline lake famous for its vibrant pink flocks of flamingos that feed on the abundant algae. The reserve is also known for its geothermal activity, featuring hot springs and geysers that emit steam and mineral-rich waters.

As is the case with all the Rift Valley lakes, the number of flamingos fluctuates depending on water levels and algae availability. Flamingos aside, I’ve found the park very productive for waterbirds in general and watching big groups of pelicans fishing together has been a highlight for me.

1 person found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Alan Murphy –

AU

Visited: June

Alan is a travel writer and author of over 20 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guides to Southern Africa and Zambia & Malawi.

Flamingo Heaven

Overall rating

3/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

The hordes of flamingos that once inhabited the shallow waters of Lake Nakuru NP left sometime ago for another nearby lake, Lake Bogoria – although the situation can change and many have now returned to Lake Nakuru. I was stunned by the sheer numbers of these beautiful creatures wading delicately in the shallows of the picturesque lake, itself dwarfed by some humongous Rift Valley mountains. The flamingos form patterns of pink and white (greater and lesser flamingo are slightly different colours) on the blue-green lake waters and it reminded me of ice skaters creating complex, rhythmic and graceful patterns on the ice. It was a remote spot but I am glad I made the effort to come – I will long remember these magnificent birds.

If you manage to drag your attention away from the flamingos covering the lake waters, you may also spot warthog, dik-dik, impala and Grant’s gazelle lurking in the scrubby landscape. The drive in is rough, bouncy and dusty, but this really is a unique experience.

Was this review helpful? Yes No

Expert

Lizzie Williams –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Currently the best place to see the Rift Valley’s flamingos

Overall rating

3/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

In a deep bowl surrounded by steep hills, Lake Bogoria is approached via the B4 road north of Nakuru town. Since 2012, seasonal rains have swelled Lake Nakuru and altered the salinity of its water, and as such, the massed flocks of the Rift Valley’s flamingos have been favouring the more algae-soaked and alkaline Bogoria. This is now the best place to see the lake edges fringed with pink as tens of thousands of lesser flamingos feed in the shallows. There’s little other wildlife around, though on occasion I’ve seen greater kudu near the lakeshore and vervet monkeys and baboons at the gate and campsites. The reserve however has the unusual feature of the Loburu hot springs, a series of bubbling and steaming water spouts, and an impressively stark, rocky landscape thanks to the Rift Valley’s Siracho Escarpment rising sharply up on the eastern shore. Lake Bogoria isn’t a standalone destination, and seeing the flamingos doesn’t take long, so I have always combined my visits with the more interesting Lake Baringo a little further north; a distinctively different freshwater lake known for its peaceful beauty, rich birdlife and many crocodiles.

Was this review helpful? Yes No

Lake Bogoria National Reserve

Expert Reviews (6)