Nakuru is the biggest city in the Rift Valley. It lies near the Mau Escarpment on the north shore of Lake Nakuru, near the heart of the Kikuyu people’s homeland. It is the fourth-largest urban hub in Kenya, lying 1850m above sea level. This was a town formed in 1904 by the British colonial government. They made Nakuru a part of the White Highlands, which was a segregated area where Europeans owned the best farmlands while Africans were appropriated into crowded zones called reserves. Nakuru became a municipality in 1952. Since Kenya’s independence in 1963, Nakuru has become a vibrant hub of entrepreneurship and commerce. The city has been a political hotbed for many decades, with strong ties to past presidents and politicians. During the 2007 post-election violence, several buildings were burned down.
We parked at Nakuru National Park, but it was pretty easy to get into the city center by Bolt or Uber (200 KES) to the Westside Mall. We had lunch at Java House and bought our supplies in the well-stocked Naivas supermarket. From there, we walked around lively Kenyatta Avenue towards Town Market. Nakuru also has a vibrant nightlife; we tried two good clubs: Platinum 7 and Space Next Door.
Parking location – Nakuru NP: 0.309134S 36.084024E (🅿️,🚻,💦)