We hope that this page helps you with any questions you may have on Nakuru and Kenya.

What you need to know about Kenya

Kenya is bisected from North to South by the Great Rift Valley and from East to West by the equator.
Kenya is one of the most geographically diverse countries on earth with vast expanses of Savannah, highland ranges, equatorial rainforest, extinct volcanoes, a series of fresh water and soda lakes and tropical beaches.
Kenya’s fascination cultural history stretches back over 4.5 million years, with some of the the earliest known evidence of early man uncovered on the shores of Lake Turkana.
Over 42 individual cultures (tribes) now call Kenya home.
Kenya became an independent Republic in 1963. Today this is a peaceful, magical destination offering visitors an unparallel variety of travel options.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Nairobi is half an hours drive from the city centre. Moi International Airport Mombassa is situated much closer to the city, but most of the tourist hotels are situated much further out along the beach.
Allow an extra hour for journeys to the south coast because of the ferry crossing.

Customs/Export
You are permitted to leave the country with a reasonable amount of tobacco and alcoholic products. Exports of gold and diamonds is prohibited as is the exports of game trophies and skins.
Game trophies, plant materials, hard drugs and pornographic material are all prohibited.

Communication
Several mobile network providers are available. Safaricom -
It is easy to bring your mobile phone (as long as quad-band) and get a mobile network line.

Currency
Kenya currency is based on the decimal system
The unity of the currency is a shilling which is divided into 100 cents.
You are allowed to leave the country with an unlimited amount of Kenyan Shillings.
It is recommended that the foreign currency be exchanged at recognized foreign exchange bureaus and banks.

Banks
All major towns have banks with a bureau de change.
Banking hours are between 9.00am and 3.00pm and 9.00am and 11.00am on the first and last Saturdays of the month.

Security
The government has done alot to improve security in all areas. However do not carry large sums of money around.
Keep a close watch on handbags, luggage and wallets especially in crowded areas.
Avoid walking at night especially alone in dark streets.
Always inform someone of your whereabouts and like everywhere else in the world, use your common sense and take precautions.

Electricity
Voltage in Kenya is 220-240 AC
Sockets are made according to the British standard system (3 pins)

Language
English is the official language and Kiswahili (Swahili) is the National language.

Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level.



North of Lake Naivasha is Nakuru, the fourth largest town in Kenya. This agriculturally oriented area is home to Lake Nakuru, one of the Rift Valley soda lakes. Lake Nakuru is best known for its thousands, sometimes millions of flamingoes nesting along the shores. The surface of the shallow lake is often hardly recognizable due to the continually shifting mass of pink. The number of flamingoes on the lake varies with water and food conditions and the best vantage point is from Baboon Rocks. Also of interest, an area of 188 km around the lake fenced off as a sanctuary to protect Rothchild giraffe and black rhinos.
Other sites of interest around Nakuru include Menengai Crater, an extinct volcano 2,490 m (8,167 feet) high. The views of the crater itself, as well as the surrounding countryside, are spectacular.
Hyrax Hill Prehistoric Site, discovered by the Leakeys in 1926, is considered a major Neolithic and Iron Age site. The adjoining museum features finds from various nearby excavations.
The second largest surviving volcanic crater in the world, the Menengai Crater, is 2,242 meters above sea level at its highest point. The crater plunges 483m down from the rim and the summit is accessible by foot or vehicle 8km from the main road. The mountain is also surrounded by a nature reserve.
Mount Longonot is the highest of the Rift Valley volcanoes. The crater is approximately 1km in diameter and forms an almost perfect circle. The crater floor supports its own fertile ecosystem. Allow up to six hours for the steep climb up from the ranger station and around the circumference of the rim.
Nyahururu is a small market town north of Nakuru that evolved as a result of the railway in 1929. Dubbed "T-Falls" by locals, Nyahururu was one of the last White settlements to be established in the colonial era. The town is home to Thomson's Falls, the 72m-high waterfall on the Ewaso Narok river. The falls cascade 72 meters into a gorge beside the Thomson Falls Lodge. There is a precarious path to the bottom, but take great care should you venture down the slippery slope.