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Imara Africa Safaris
Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi
Day Safaris

Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi

Rhinos, flamingos and Rift Valley escarpments in a single day

  • Full day (about 12 hours door to door)
  • Lake Nakuru National Park · Great Rift Valley
  • Confirmation within minutes
PricingOn request
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DurationFull day (about 12 hours door to door)
Starts fromAny Nairobi hotel or residence
Tour stylePrivate — you set the pace
Response timeMinutes — hours at busiest

Quick answer

A Lake Nakuru day safari from Nairobi is the most reliable one-day rhino sighting in Kenya — the park is a rhino sanctuary protecting both black and white rhino, alongside Rothschild giraffe, lions, leopards and (depending on water levels) shimmering flamingo flocks. The drive is about three hours each way through the Great Rift Valley, leaving a full game drive in the park. Pricing varies with group size; request availability and a quote.

Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi — photo 2
Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi — photo 3
Sample day plan

How the day unfolds

Indicative timings — your exact schedule is confirmed in the written quote.

  1. 06:00

    Nairobi pickup, Rift Valley viewpoint stop

  2. 09:00

    Enter Lake Nakuru NP — rhino sanctuary game drive

  3. 12:30

    Picnic lunch at Baboon Cliff viewpoint

  4. 13:30

    Afternoon circuit — flamingo shores and acacia forest

  5. 15:30

    Depart the park

  6. 18:30

    Nairobi drop-off

Highlights
  • Black and white rhino sanctuary
  • Flamingos and 450+ bird species
  • Rothschild giraffe and tree-climbing lions
  • Baboon Cliff viewpoint over the lake
What's included
  • Return road transfer from Nairobi
  • Private 4x4 with professional driver-guide
  • Full game drive in Lake Nakuru NP
  • Bottled water

What to bring

  • Binoculars — 450+ bird species recorded
  • Camera and spare battery
  • Sunscreen and a hat
  • Light fleece for the early start
FAQ

Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi — questions, answered

How much does the Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi cost?+

Pricing depends on group size, vehicle and season, so we confirm an exact written quote for your date. Priced per group size and vehicle — request a quote. Combines well with Lake Naivasha as a 2-day trip. Availability on request — response and confirmation within minutes, or a few hours at busy times. T&Cs apply.

How long is the Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi and where does it start?+

Full day (about 12 hours door to door). The tour starts from any Nairobi hotel or residence.

What is included in the Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi?+

Return road transfer from Nairobi; Private 4x4 with professional driver-guide; Full game drive in Lake Nakuru NP; Bottled water. Final inclusions are itemised in your written quote before you pay anything.

What should I bring on the Lake Nakuru National Park Day Safari from Nairobi?+

Binoculars — 450+ bird species recorded; Camera and spare battery; Sunscreen and a hat; Light fleece for the early start.

Verified Guest Reviews

What our travellers say

Verified reviews from travellers on our Kenya day tours & excursions

5.0· 217 reviews
TripAdvisor5.0 Google5.0

Our trip to Kenya was an unusual one in many ways. It was a family holiday, but with a twist — an all-men’s group, with ages ranging from 37 to 72! Managing a group with such a wide age range and different expectations was no small task. But choosing Imara Safari turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. Right from the beginning, we realised that Imara Safari is much more than just a travel company. Wendy and her team are genuinely some of the finest human beings you could meet. Their warmth, hospitality and willingness to accommodate every little request made us feel less like clients and more like family. There were a couple of situations during our trip that truly showed us what sets them apart. In one instance, we faced an unexpected situation that wasn’t even their responsibility. They could easily have stayed out of it, but instead, they went out of their way and put in the extra effort to help us sort it out. That spoke volumes about the kind of people they are. And then came my uncle’s birthday! I called Wendy and requested a cake to celebrate his birthday. Before I could even explain much, she surprised me by saying that they already knew about it because they had noticed his date of birth in his passport — and had actually planned a surprise for him from their end! Honestly, we were dumbstruck. That level of thoughtfulness and attention to detail is something you rarely come across. You can have the best systems, the best itinerary and the best facilities, but genuine hospitality comes from the heart. And when people do things with heart, it shows in every little detail. Throughout the trip, whether it was a big requirement or the smallest request, Wendy and her team were always there for us. A special mention to our guides and drivers, Patrick and Simon. What started as a professional arrangement quickly turned into a friendship. These two are absolute legends — incredibly cool, great company, and, more importantly, some of the best wildlife trackers and professionals you could ask for. Their knowledge, patience and ability to spot animals made our safari experience truly special. And no matter what we asked for, the response was almost always the same: “Hakuna Matata!” That phrase became the soundtrack of our trip! Wendy, Patrick and Simon — thank you so much for everything. You made this trip memorable not just because of the places we visited and the wildlife we witnessed, but because of the people you are. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for looking after us, going that extra mile and making us feel like family. Imara Safari is not just about organising a safari. It’s about creating experiences with heart. Highly recommended!

ashwin zenev jerome

ashwin zenev jerome

November 2026

Safari photo
Safari photo
Ben Felgar

Ben Felgar/October 2026

This was a great tour. The accommodation were top-notch. Edward was very knowledgeable As a solo female traveler I felt safe.

Austin Oberlin

Austin Oberlin/October 2026

Imara was very responsive and helpful in picking a Safari experience. They picked us up at our hotel in Nairobi. We had an excellent driver who guided us around Amboseli National Park for 3 days!

Aasma Aslam

Aasma Aslam/October 2026

The whole experience was excellent. From the point of view enquiry right up until the drop off to the airport I can’t fault the service. Any queries we had were answered straight away with detail. The safari itself with the Imara Africa Safaris team was amazing- everything they promised at the beginning was delivered- by far the best holiday we have had made better because of Imara Africa Safaris. Finally our driver Jessie was brilliant. He was knowledgeable and very accommodating. We will definitely be returning in the near future and recommend Imara Africa Safaris to everyone.

T

T/October 2026

Very good experience. Everything was planned very well from Lincoln and realized by a great driver/guide Simon.

Vineeth Balachandran

Vineeth Balachandran/October 2026

Finished our 5 day tour with Imara. What an amazing experience they gave us! Kate in the office was brilliant and helped us all the way through the planning of the trip. Tour started off with our guide Peter who drove around crazy, trying his best to show as many animals in Amboseli. Back drop of Kilimanjaro was a visual treat! We then went to Masai Mara. Simon, our guide was very knowledgable and committed to showing the big five, which he succeeded. We saw all the big five, some of them several times! Thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kenya and will highly recommend Imara tours. Word of caution-If you are visiting Masai village, you may get exploited. Just take care.

Hassan aljaber

Hassan aljaber/October 2026

What an amazing experience. From the booking, to the airport, flexibility, activities, and most importantly our excellent guide Symon. Eunice was amazing with flexibility and booking, she was able to provide me with my exact needs and wants for the whole trip. We were able to experience all we wanted, and so much more. We spent 7 days in Kenya, one night in lake Naivasha, 2 nights in Amboseli, and finally 3 nights in Maasai Mara. We got to experience all the classic safari experiences, and so so so much more. Our guide Symon was spectacular, and was able to get us views of everything. With Symon, we were able to see the big 5, cheetas, and all the animals on our bucket list, and a lot of other unique sightings, such as a cheetah hunt, lions cubs feeding, and the rare twin baby elephants. We started our trip with a boat safari, crescent island, and a horse riding safari. We also had a quad bike safari in hells gate. Then in Amboseli and Maasai Mara, we got to see so many animals thanks to Symon.

Jo

Jo/October 2026

Cannot recommend Imara and our guide Jesse enough! My friend and I did a private tour of Naivasha, Nakuru and Maasai Mara. Imara organised everything from accommodation to lunches and all guided activities, and of course wonderful game drives in the Mara. We were incredibly lucky to be guided by Jesse throughout. He is an excellent driver and very experienced guide, who knew exactly where to take us so we could see all the big 5, the ugly 5 and everything in between, in just a few days. We felt completely safe and had fun as a team of three spotting wildlife. We never felt rushed or bored, it was the perfect balance of interesting things to discover and enough downtime to not feel tired by the end. The car was fully equipped with everything we needed, from WiFi and plugs to cold water in the fridge.

Yosra L

Yosra L/October 2026

We were 2 friends doing a 7 day 6 nights safari in Rift Valley and Maasai Mara. We had an amazing time. Our guide Jesse was very knowledgeable, patient and friendly. The team at Imara was very responsive and tried their best to adapt to our requirements. We got to see all the Big 5 on our first day in Maasai Mara thanks to our amazing guide (and some luck). Everything was taken care of and went smoothly. I highly recommend Imara and Jesse! Thank you for a great week Advice: be very clear on what you want / what's a must have and check it is reflected in the final offer. This is not specific to Imara as we had that issue with other safari tour operators

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