Location:
Central Kenya, 140km north-west of Nairobi, in the Nakuru District of the Rift Valley Province. The park covers an area of 188 km2.

The Place: Lake Nakuru National Park is the location of the greatest bird spectacle on earth—millions of flamingos resting on the shores of a shallow lake, the surface of which is often hardly recognizable due to the continually shifting mass of pink. With its clear water, beautiful papyrus and water lily fringes, it is widely considered one of the world’s most breathtaking freshwater ecosystems.

Flamingos are not the only avian attraction; there are over 400 additional species of bird on the lake and in the surrounding park, including fish-eating birds like pelicans and cormorants. The park has also become one of the world’s premier sanctuaries for the critically endangered black rhino. With more than 25 rhinos, it has one of the largest concentrations in the country. There are also a number of recently integrated Rothschild's giraffe, as well as a healthy population of ever-snorting hippos. Among the predators are small populations of lion and leopard, both of which are now being spotted much more frequently throughout the park.

Climate:
Hot and dry during the day, but cools down in the evenings. Annual rainfall of 965mm.

The project: By participating in this project, volunteers will contribute to the protection and sustainable management of Kenya’s most prized freshwater ecosystem, the ever-changing dynamics of which still largely remain a mystery. In doing so, volunteers are given the unique opportunity

to work with both a research team, headed by Dr. Apollo Kariuki, and the park warden, Mr. Dickson Too. This means that as well as doing science-based work, which includes rhino surveillance, bird counts and water testing, volunteers will assist in day-to-day park maintenance work, which includes fence building, road and signage repairs and park patrols.