Nakuru

Nakuru, the provincial capital of the Rift Valley province with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest conurbation of Kenya, lies about 2100 m above sea level.

Nakuru is an agriculturally oriented area and is home to Lake Nakuru, one of the Rift Valley soda lakes.

Other sites of interest around Nakuru include Menengai Crater, a dormant volcano. The views of the crater itself, as well as the surrounding countryside, are spectacular. Small fumaroles and steam vents can regularly be observed within the forested caldera from above. The second largest surviving volcanic crater in the world, the Menengai Crater, it plunges 483 m down from the rim and the summit is accessible by foot or vehicle 8 km from the main road. The wood-covered crater ground is a nature reserve.

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.

Surrounding towns include Lanet, which lies approximately 10 km from Nakuru, predominantly a residential town and home to an army base. Njoro lies 20 km from Nakuru and is a small agricultural town with a local university aimed at promoting agricultural development in Kenya, namely Egerton University (est. 1934).