Mount Longonot & Lake Naivasha — 2 Days of Hiking & Lake Life
Climb a crater rim in the morning, drift among hippos in the afternoon
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Mount Longonot is named after the Maasai word Oloonong'ot, meaning 'mountain of many spurs' — a reference to the ridges radiating from its summit. The volcano last erupted in the 1860s, making it one of the youngest volcanic features in the Rift Valley. The climb is popular with Nairobi residents because the park gate is only about 90 minutes from the city by road. The trail gains 500 metres of elevation over about 3.5 kilometres of switchback — steep enough to get your heart rate up, but doable in under two hours for anyone reasonably fit. The crater itself is 1.8 kilometres across and about 200 metres deep, its floor a forest of acacia, euphorbia, and whistling thorn that has grown undisturbed since the last eruption. A full circuit of the rim takes about 2 hours and involves some scrambling on the narrow eastern ridge — not technical, but not for vertigo sufferers either. From the highest point on the rim, the 360-degree view takes in Lake Naivasha, the Mau Escarpment, Mount Suswa, and on the clearest days, the peaks of Mount Kenya. Below, Lake Naivasha glitters in the afternoon sun. The lake is a RAMSAR site, recognised for its importance to migratory waterbirds. Combined with Crescent Island — a private sanctuary where you walk on foot among giraffes, zebras, and antelopes — this trip makes for one of Kenya's best two-day micro-adventures.
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What's Included
- Transport in a safari van from Nairobi
- Professional English-speaking driver/guide
- Mount Longonot National Park entrance fees
- 1 night accommodation at Lake Naivasha lodge (full-board)
- Lake Naivasha boat ride (1 hour)
- Crescent Island entrance and walking safari
- All meals (lunch day 1 to lunch day 2)
- Bottled drinking water
- Hotel pickup and drop-off within Nairobi
Not Included
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Souvenirs and personal purchases
- Tips and gratuities
- Travel insurance
Itinerary
Day-by-day breakdown of your adventure
Nairobi to Mount Longonot — Crater Rim Hike
Leave Nairobi by 7:00 AM and drive for about an hour and a half to Mount Longonot National Park, at the foot of the dormant volcano. After paying park fees and stretching, the climb begins. The trail is steep from the start — a switchback path cut into the loose volcanic soil that gains nearly 500 metres in an hour and a half. At the rim (2,776m), the crater opens beneath you: a collapsed caldera 1.8 kilometres across, its floor a dense forest of acacia and euphorbia. The walls plunge 200 metres straight down. Most hikers stop here, but the better choice is to walk the full 7.2-kilometre circuit around the rim, which takes about 2 hours and gives you constantly shifting views — Lake Naivasha to the west, the Rift Valley floor stretching to Suswa and beyond, and the crater's interior from every angle. The trail is narrow and exposed in places but never technical. Descend by early afternoon. Drive twenty minutes to your lodge on the shores of Lake Naivasha — a sprawling property with gardens sloping down to the water. Lunch, then a proper shower. In the late afternoon, walk the lodge grounds or sit on the jetty watching hippos surface as the light softens.
Lake Naivasha Boat Ride & Crescent Island — Return to Nairobi
After breakfast, walk down to the lodge jetty where a motorboat waits. The one-hour lake cruise takes you across calm water past floating islands of papyrus and lily pads. The lake's hippo population is dense — you'll see snouts, ears, and the occasional open-mouth yawn within metres of the boat. African fish eagles perch on dead acacia trees, scanning for tilapia. Cormorants and pelicans dry their wings on half-submerged branches. The guide cuts the engine in the middle of the lake so you can sit in silence. The boat drops you at Crescent Island, a sanctuary with no predators — just giraffes, zebras, waterbucks, wildebeest, gazelles, and the odd eland, all living on a grassy peninsula surrounded by water on three sides. You walk among them freely, your guide identifying tracks and explaining behaviour. By mid-morning, the boat returns you to the lodge. Brunch, then check out and drive back to Nairobi, arriving by mid-afternoon.
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