Nakuru County

Hiking

Start off the adventure at 7 AM when you will be picked up and driven to the Great Rift Valley viewpoint, one of Kenya’s most spectacular spots. Briefly absorb the panoramic views of all the major attractions in Nairobi before moving on to Hell's Gate National Park. Get into gear and start the 2-hour biking safari around the park. Expect to cycle past a range of wildlife, from large antelopes to roaming zebras and everything in between. This is followed by an hour-long walk exploring the gorges inside the park with a private guide. Gorges are small, thin depressions of land that you can walk underneath.  Travel by motor vehicle to Naivasha Fishermans or Marina camp for lunch at 1 PM. At 2 PM, enjoy a boat ride across Lake Naivasha, the Rift Valley's highest lake. Encircled by verdant banks, olive trees and cacti this lake is home to exotic birds and giant hippos.  At 4 PM, depart for Nairobi where you will be dropped off at your hotel, area of residence, or the airport.

Depart Nairobi for Mt Longonot National Park, heading through the Kikuyu lush green highlands. You will make a scheduled stop at the Great Rift Valley view point. The Rift Valley system was formed 5 million years ago and runs from the Red Sea through Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. The Rift Valley is an active volcanic area - you will actually be able to see the volcanic Mt Suswa and Mt Longonot from this viewpoint. Then, arrive at the Mt Longonot National Park for your hike up to the crater. The hike requires medium physical fitness and you will climb through the gulleys that dot the sides of this mountain. You can make some rest stops at the designated places on the trek. You will get to the rim of the crater and look into the awesome crater below. If you have the strength for it, you can go round the rim of the crater. Descend from Mt Longonot to the base at the Park headquarters. Relax for a while and have lunch at Marina Camp by the lakeside. Go on an hour-long boat ride during which you will see many birds, including the diving African fish eagle. You will also go to the hippo pool and see the hippos as they swim in the water while opening their mouths to over 180 degrees. Afterwards, you will be dropped off at your Nairobi hotel.

Your tour begins in Nairobi when your driver picks you up from your hotel. You will then journey approximately 1.5 hours in a private vehicle to the base of Mount Longonot. Along the way, you will stop to take in amazing panoramic views of the Great Rift Valley.  When you arrive at Mount Longonot, guides will be waiting for you to aid you on your hiking expedition.  You will hike around the rim of the crater and enjoy amazing views of the thick forest in bottom of the crater. As you hike your guide will point out wildlife to you and you will take two or three stops to cool yourself and take in the scenery. Once you arrive at the top of the crater you can take in breathtaking views. After taking in the views from the top you will slowly descend back down the crater. When you arrive back at the base your driver will be waiting for you to take you back to your hotel in Nairobi. 

Your adventure begins with pickup you from your Nairobi hotel/residence at 6:00AM. After driving for approximately 1 hour, you will begin the ascent at 6,000 feet. Like all good uphill hikes it will lull you into a sense of false security with a slow gentle rise to the first peak. This will give you the chance to get your lungs and limbs freed up for the second section, which is the best section. At the end of each section there is a rest point where you can prepare yourself for the next part of your journey. You will have started early to avoid the heat of the sun, but by the time you reach the end of the second section you will have generated plenty of your own heat. This hike is not an easy hike, but is achievable by people of average fitness. Your guide will accompany you all the way to the top. The whole tour is only about 8–9 kilometers long but very steep, so that the round-trip from the park gate to Longonot Peak takes around 5 hours. At the conclusion of your tour you will visit Lake Naivasha for a sunset boat ride to see hippos, before your return drive to Nairobi.

Depart Nairobi in the early in the morning and stop at the Rift Valley viewpoint to see the reason why this area is called the Great Rift Valley. View the Loita Plains and then proceed to Mount Longonot for a 5-hour hike. You will hike around the crater and down to the Gate. The height gain during the hike is rapid and this makes for a stiff climb. Alternatively, you can also decide to circumnavigate the crater rim. The hiking trail features some rest points, but it also includes some narrow points - especially on the crater rim. The total length of the hike up, around the crater rim, and back, is 10.3km. The hike from the Gate to the crater rim is 3.1km in length.

Day 1: Nairobi to Lake Nakuru National Park Meet your safari driver and guide at your hotel in Nairobi then set off northwest towards Lake Nakuru. On the way, make a short stop to view the Great Rift Valley from an elevated position. Arrive at Lake Nakuru National Park in time for a pre-lunch game drive. Look out for giraffes, waterbucks, black and white rhinos, buffalo, lions, and leopards, amongst other wildlife which calls the National Park home. On the shores of the lake, find thousands of flamingos feeding on the algae. Then, stop for lunch at Lake Nakuru Lodge, Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, or a similar location nearby. Finally, enjoy another afternoon game drive around Lake Nakuru and the forest. Dinner and accommodation will be at Fisherman's Camp Lake Naivasha. Day 2: Hell’s Gate & Lake Naivasha Arrive at the entrance to Hell's Gate around mid-morning, where you will set off on a 2-hour bike tour. There is the option to drive, for those who prefer not to bike. During the ride, have the chance to see bushbucks, dik-diks, giraffes, gazelles, gnus, hartebeests, impalas, klipspringers, buffaloes, hyraxes, zebras, hyenas, jackals, mongooses, baboons, monkeys, and porcupines. The park has historically been an important home for the rare lammergeier vultures. Visit the gorges and capture beautiful panoramas then return the bike to the entrance at around 12 PM. Along the way, visit the Masai community. Then, at 1 PM, have lunch at Naivasha Fisherman's Camp. After that, enjoy a relaxing boat ride on Lake Naivasha, where you can see some of the local wildlife including hippos, buffalo, fish eagles, pelicans. At the end of the tour, get driven back to Nairobi for around 6 PM.

Your driver / guide will pick you up at 7:00 am to begin the short (little over 2 hours) drive to Hell’s Gate Park. Along our route we’ll pass the majestic Rift Valley escarpments, towering above us. At Hells gate national park you can Drive, Hike, Bike or Climb. The experience is sensational! This park is named for the great steamy clouds and geothermal hot pools that distinguish this unusual place. You’ll marvel at Hell’s Gate National Park’s stunning cliffs, rock towers, extinct volcanoes and breathtaking gorges. Hiking and cycling are encouraged here, and we can do a bit of both. We’ll trek through Hell’s Gate Gorge, a steep, red sandstone formation cut by water and time. Walking through this narrow canyon, we’ll spot the unique volcanic remnants called Fischer’s and Central Towers. Then we’re on for lunch and there after proceed to Lake Naivasha for a refreshing boat ride. Later proceed back to Nairobi for a drop off at or around 7:00pm.

Your tour will begin as you are picked up from your hotel early in the morning, at which point you will drive to Lake Naivasha. On the way to the lake, you will have one stop at the great Rift Valley view point for a photography break. Once having arrived, you will begin with a boat ride, riding in a speed boat for an hour to view wild animals. The boat will then drop you at the island, where you will be welcomed by your guides before proceeding for a walking tour. You will be able to get close to friendly wild animals with well trained guides leading you, with more animals per acre here than any other Kenyan Park. You will discover that hippos graze all over at night, and sleep under the acacia or rest in the water by day. Following your guided tour, the boat will come to collect you before taking you back to the pier, from where you will depart for Nairobi.