Nakuru tourism sector gears up for the festive season
Business
By
Ken Gachuhi
| Nov 01, 2026
Lake Nakuru National Park Assistant Director Martin Omondi, Sarova Hotels Nakuru Cluster Manager Duncan Mwangi, Sarova Lion Hill Lodge staff and guests during the annual Christmas cake-mixing ceremony. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]
Nakuru's tourism and hospitality sectors are stepping up preparations for the festive season, with hotels and tourist attraction sites preparing to receive local and international visitors.
Lake Nakuru National Park Assistant Director Martin Omondi said preparations include opening new road circuits to enhance tourists' wildlife-viewing experience.
“Being a premium park, the new routes have opened up more areas to visitors and improved access to key wildlife attractions and scenery,” said Omondi.
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The park is home to four of the Big Five, along with several other wildlife species, making it one of the region's major tourist attractions.
“It is an important bird-watching area and a UNESCO heritage site. The rising water levels of the lake are also a natural phenomenon that visitors should visit us to witness during the holiday,” said Omondi.
Beyond wildlife conservation, hospitality establishments within the park are also embracing the Christmas spirit, with Sarova Lion Hill Lodge hosting its annual cake-mixing ceremony on Saturday. The ceremony includes marinating dozens of fruits and nuts in selected alcohols and juices.
The tradition, which traces its roots to 17th-century Europe, brings together participants to mix dried fruits, nuts and spices that are later used to prepare traditional Christmas cakes.
“The ceremony marks the beginning of the festive season. It creates a memorable experience for the guests who actively take part in mixing the different ingredients alongside our chefs,” said Samwel Mwangi, the lodge manager.
Sarova Group Pastry Chef Sanjit Gupta said that the cake-mixing process is an important culinary tradition that brings people together while preserving the rich heritage of Christmas celebrations.
“The cake mixing tradition was meant to bring people together. After mixing the different dry fruits and nuts, the mixture was shared among all. When Christmas time came, each would share their cake with their neighbours to see who had the best recipe,” said Gupta.
Sarova Hotels Nakuru Cluster Manager Duncan Mwangi said that they are expecting a rise in visitors during the December holiday, after recording better performance this year compared to 2025.
“We have already started seeing rising bookings ahead of the season. With the expected high occupancy, we are upgrading our rooms and other facilities to give our clients the best experience,” said Mwangi.
He was optimistic that with the ongoing expansion of the Rironi-Mau Summit Highway, clients will have better access to tourist attractions across the region.
“We are lucky to have airstrips and an upcoming superhighway that will ensure fast travel for visitors. This will make Nakuru even more competitive for tourism, meetings, conferences and exhibitions among other products,” said Mwangi.