Both Lake Nakuru and Amboseli national parks are incredibly popular with tourists visiting Kenya. So I was wondering, If I were forced to choose between the two parks, what choice would I make and what consideration should I have in helping me choose. I have been to both parks but I also did some research and here is what I found.
When asked to choose between Lake Nakuru or Amboseli, I would choose Amboseli National Park since it is a larger park and offers many of the animals most tourists expect to see on an African Safari. On the other hand, I would NOT choose Lake Nakuru since the park is small and can be covered in just a day. The hustle of traveling many hours to spend half a day on your safari in Lake Nakuru might not make sense to most tourists. Let me explain why I think Amboseli is the park you should choose between the two and my reasons and justifications for this.
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Summary
| Amboseli National Park | Lake Nakuru National Park | |
| Best for | Best for: Those seeking to see elephants, beautiful landscapes and the possible view of the Kilimanjaro. | Best for: those seeking to see Rhinos and flamingos and don’t mind going on a shorter than usual Safari. |
| Animals | Elephant (Abundant) Lion (Occasional) Leopard (Rare) Cheetah (Rare) Hyena (Common) Buffalo (Abundant) Zebra (Abundant) Wildebeest (Abundant) White Rhino (None) Black Rhino (None) Giraffe (Common) Hippo (Common) Source Safari Bookings | Elephant (None) Lion (Occasional) Leopard (Occasional) Cheetah (Very Rare) Hyena (Occasional) Buffalo (Common) Zebra (Common) Wildebeest (Rare) White Rhino (Common) Black Rhino (Occasional) Giraffe (Common) Hippo (Common) Source Safari Bookings |
| Recommended number of days | 2 | 1 or less |
| Nearby attractions | None | – Lake Mbogoria guyeser – Lake Naivasha- Hell’s Gate national park Naivasha |
| Distance from Nairobi | 4 Hour Drive55 Minute Flight | 3 Hour Drive |
| Distance from Masai Mara | 10 Hour Drive2 Hour Flight via Nairobi | 6 Hours DriveNo flights available |
| Best way to get there | Light aircraft from Wilson Airport Nairobi | Going by road from Nairobi |
| How remote (Proximity to a town) | Close to Nakuru town 20 minutes drive | Far from namanga town (1 Hour 30 Minutes drive) |
| Crowds | Second most popular park in Kenya which makes it busy for most of the year | Mildly busy but it depends on time of year |
| Popularity | Second most popular park in Kenya after Masai Mara | Not as popular as it’s counterparts. But still worth visiting in some cases. |
| Best months to visit | June to September Dry season | June to September Dry season |
| Worst months to visit | March, April, May and October (Rainy Season) | March, April, May and October (Rainy Season) |
The main differences between Lake Nakuru National Park and Amboseli National Park
- Size of the park: The Amboseli covers an area of 96,870 acres while Lake Nakuru covers the area of 11,120 acres. This vast difference means that you would spend less than a day covering most of the popular attractions in Lake Nakuru but would spend about 2 days to cover the best spots in the Amboseli.
- Distance from Nairobi: Amboseli NP is 215 KM (133 Mi) from Nairobi. Conversely, Lake Nakuru NP is just 179 KM (111Mi) from Nairobi.
- Proximity to civilization: Lake Nakuru is just a short drive from Nakuru town. This means, in case of an emergency, you can get it addressed quickly. Conversely, Amboseli NP is about 1.5Hours away from the nearest town of Namanga. This means that if you have a challenge that needs to be addressed in a town, you would have a long journey to get to any civilization.
Amboseli VS Lake Nakuru when also visiting the Masai Mara
If you are going to be visiting the Masai Mara Game Reserve, I would suggest that you visit the Amboseli first but skip Lake Nakuru. The reason for this is outlined in my article about why Lake Nakuru is not worth visiting but the summary of this is:
- Lake Nakuru is a long drive from the Masai Mara and since the park is small, it would not be worth visiting since you will spend about a day or less to view it all.
- Many of the Animals you will see at the Masai Mara will be present at Lake Nakuru. This means that this visit will not o much to add value to your overall tour experience.
You should visit the Amboseli before visiting the Mara since it will provide you with an opportunity to spend a few of your first days on Safari in a beautiful setting with the view of the Great Kilimanjaro in the background.
Amboseli VS Lake Nakuru when looking for a multi-day safari
If you are going for a multi-day safari and don’t want to travel a lot in between parks and attractions, you will find it more appropriate to visit Amboseli National Park. You will have enough to do to occupy two days of Safari without having to travel a lot. This excludes the time you will spend travelling to or from Amboseli.
Amboseli VS Lake Nakuru when Near Nairobi
Lake Nakuru Wins it when it comes to its proximity to Nairobi. Though both parks are far from the Nation’s Capital, Lake Nakuru is much closer to Nairobi than Amboseli. This means that, if you are planning for a shorter trip that would not take you too far away from the city, Lake Nakuru would be a strong contender.
Amboseli Vs Lake Nakuru when on a tight budget
One of the biggest items that affect how much your safari costs is the cost of transport and the length of your visit. For this reason, if you are on a budget, you would need to cut down on travel time and the number of days you will be staying at any of the parks.
Between the two parks, the one that would be most friendly to travelers on a tight budget is Lake Nakuru National Park.
The reason for this is the fact that the park is small and would be easily covered in one day. It is also close to Nairobi and this would make transportation cheaper than going to Amboseli National Park.
Amboseli Vs Lake Nakuru Minimizing Road travel time
This one goes to Amboseli National Park. The fact that you may have to combine the visit to Lake Nakuru with a visit to places like Lake Bogoria geyser which is about 2 hours from Lake Nakuru makes this the option with the most road travel time.
On the other hand, since there are no nearby attractions near Amboseli and the park is big enough to spend 2 days, it means that you will spend less time traveling to your destination and maximize your time viewing the animals.
Amboseli Vs Lake Nakuru Best Safari Experience
While this might be debated, I personally argue that you will have a better safari experience when visiting the Amboseli National Park than Lake Nakuru. My reasons for this are as follows:
- Compared to Lake Nakuru that is small and can be covered in just 1 day the Amboseli offers a wider range of activities that would warrant a 2 or 3-day visit.
- The Amboseli has a wider variety of animals you can view compared to the Lake Nakuru National Park. In addition to this, the Amboseli has many of the Big 5 Animals and many other popular animals that you may want to see.
- You may get the chance to view Mt. Kilimanjaro if you visit the Amboseli. Although this view is often elusive due to the clouds that cover the peaks of this mountain, you may be one of the lucky ones that get a glimpse of the white snow-capped summit.
A Final Word
As you prepare for your trip to Africa, I would like to recommend a few products that would help make your life easier.
- Shoes: I recommend that you check the Keen Hiking shoes. I have written an extensive article on the best shoes for an African safari and this shoe checks all the boxes for things you should look for when choosing a shoe for Africa. (Check out the Keen Hiking Shoes on Amazon)
- Camera: If you are not big on photography, I would not advise you to buy a brand new camera for your African Adventure. Good cameras can be expensive and buying a camera you will not use is not a good use of your limited budget. I advise that you rent a camera instead and Lens Rentals have a great Safari Camera Kit perfect for someone traveling to Africa. If you are thinking of getting into photography, then you can invest in a new camera but before you do, check out my pick for the best Safari Camera for a Beginner like Me
- Information About Africa: I have created a YouTube channel that focuses on things about traveling to Africa that only Africans can tell you about. Check out the channel for insights about African culture and things you can do as a traveler to optimize your trip. You should also visit TripAdvisor forum posts (Here is the Kenya Forum) and ask questions about your particular situation. There are a lot of people who are happy to help you out.
- Choosing a Safari Company: I have written an extensive article on how to choose a safari Company. You can. Check it out before starting the process of searching for a safari company.
- Consulting Session: If you have any questions you would like to ask me about Kenya, I would invite you to contact me for a 30-minute consultation session where I will share my knowledge about East Africa and share experiences that will help you make your trip easier. Reach out to me on email – antonynjoro@gmail.com
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