Lake Nakuru

soda lake

Key facts

Location: Nairobi
Lake type: alkaline lake
Primary outflows: Lake Nakuru has no outflow. No rivers or cracks flowing out of Lake Nakuru
Basin countries: Kenya
Surface area: 5 to 45 km (1.9 to 17.4 sq mi)
Average depth: 1 foot (0.30 m)
Max depth: 6 feet (1.8 m)
Surface elevation: 1,754 m (5,755 ft)
Frozen: Lake Nakuru is nestled in the vast great Rift Valley. The lake never freezes.
Designated: 5 June 1990
Official name: Kenya Lake System of the Great Rift Valley
Criteria: Natural: vii, ix, x

Article

Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley lakes, located at an elevation of 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park.

About 10,000 years ago, Lake Nakuru, together with neighboring Lake Elementaita and Lake Bogoria, formed one single, deep freshwater lake that eventually dried up, leaving the three lakes as remnants. In 2011 the three lakes were inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Kenya Lake System of the Great Rift Valley.