Summary
This tour takes you to the top of the Great Rift Valley giving you the chance to experience the freedom and awesome wildness of East Africa. The Mountain is just less than 9100ft. above sea level with a tree filled interior and a lonesome steam vent to the north east. A climb up Mount Longonot is an ideal day trip from either Nairobi or Naivasha.
This hike is not an easy hike but is achievable by people of average fitness. The best time to visit / travel is the months of January to April and from September to December. There is an armed rangerthat accompanies you on the hike.
Itinerary
You will be picked by the driver guide at around 0700hrs and depart for a drive that is approximately one hour to Mt. Longonot National Park.
Rising from the floor of the Great Rift Valley like a monolith is the extinct volcano of Mount Longonot. A unique feature is the thick forest that lies within the crater of the mountain. The crater rim also provides great scenic views across the beautiful Rift Valley all the way to Lake Naivasha. Major wildlife attractions at Mount Longonot include buffaloes, elands, lion, leopard, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffe and Grant's gazelles.
On arrival, you will prepare and start the assent at 6000 ft. Like all good uphill hikes it will lull you in to a sense of false security with a slow gentle rise to the first peak. The whole tour is only about 8-9 km long but very steep, that it takes about 5 hours hiking to get to the peak. There are four sections before getting to the pick of the mountain. At the end of each section there is a rest point where you can prepare yourself for the next part of your journey.
As you heave yourself over the rim of the crater your reward is the awesome sight of Naivasha and the Great Rift Valley and you know that it was all worthwhile.
You will begin descending and arrive in good time for lunch and later embark on your trip back to Nairobi. You will be taken to the location of your choice.
