This park was established and opened to visitors in June 1968. The main reason for the creation of the national park was to protect its huge flocks of the lesser flamingo. Over 1 million flamingoes in the park literally turn the shores of Lake Nakuru pink. This is a delight for ornithologists, scientists, and wildlife filmmakers. Located at a distance of 157 kilometers from Nairobi, the park covers 188 square kilometers of land of great ecological diversity - from lake water, woodland, bush grassland, to rocky ridges. The park is located at an altitude of 4,000-5,767 feet above sea level.

Visitors can stay at the two lodges, K.W.S. Guest House, five campsites, and two picnic sites at Makalia Falls and Njoro River Mouth. There is a wide variety of game. Hippos and clawless otters can be seen in the lake itself. Creatures like the waterbuck, Bohor's Reedbuck and the zebra can be found on the shores. Moreover, black and white rhinos can be found in the forests. The KWS has successfully re-established the rhino population with the help of a breeding herd from Laikipia and the creation of a rhino sanctuary in the park. As a result, the rhino population has improved from the two black rhinos that were left in 1987 after years of poaching.

Other wildlife that can be easily observed includes the buffalo, leopard, lion, Rothschild's giraffe, black and white Colobus monkey in the forests and animals like the eland, steinbok, impala, Chandler's reedbuck, dikdik in the bushland. Finally, rock hyrax and the klipspringer are found on the cliffs and escarpment.