A day trip to Mt. Longonot, 72,km from Nairobi, Kenya, for a leisurely hike. Rising from the floor of the Great Rift Valley, bordered by the scenic escarpment and endless plains, is the extinct volcano of Mount Longonot. A gentle slope surrounds the mountain, a favouriote of hikers and fitness enthusiasts for its lack of punishment and often as preparation for more challenging climbs.
The climb is on a 3.1km trail from the park entrance to the crater rim. If you’re up to it, you can hike the 7.2km loop encicling the crater, which wpould make the whole tour a totakl of 13.5km or 4-5 hours of trekking with the necessary allowance for rest.
A unique feature of the mountain is a thick forest that lies within its crater. Once you reach the crater, you can take in the breataking views of the scenic surroundins of the majetic Rift Valley all the way to Lake Naivasha, which glitters in the sun like a metal pan.
Major wildlife attractions at Mount Longonot include buffaloes, elands, lion, leopard, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffe and Grant’s gazelles. After al that fun, grab some lunch then take a leisurely late afternoon drive back to Nairobi with stops along the way to capture lasting images of the scenic Rift Valley.
Overview
Drive from Nairobi in the morning to hike the gentle Mt. Longonot, circle the crater and visit Lake Naivasha for fishing and boating then return to Nairobi
