Private Tour to Mount Longonot and Optional Boat Ride on Lake Naivasha
Description
Mt Longonot National Park is located 90km from Nairobi city on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. The mt Longonot national park is a popular park for hiking and mountain climbing that takes less than 3-4hrs to climb/hike up and down. It is one of the best adventure day trips from Nairobi. Longonot national park is easy to get to and has the best sightseeing opportunities and one can look inside the mountain crater.
Tour Options
Itinerary
6:00am:- Nairobi- Great African Rift Valley Depart Nairobi for Mt Longonot National Park going through the Kikuyu lush green highlands and then on the eastern escarpment of the rift valley system. 6:30am: – Great Rift Valley View Point You will make a scheduled stop at the view point on the side of the escarpment to enjoy the view of the Rift valley floor from a birds eye view. The rift valley system was formed 5 million years ago and the rift runs from the red sea through Ethiopia and Kenya and Tanzania. The rift valley is an active volcanic area and has some of the most interesting features including more than 8 lakes, dormant and active volcanic mountains and hotsprings and geysers like the Olkaria geothermal wells and Lake Bogoria geysers. You can actually see the volcanic Mt Suswa and Mt Longonot from this high place with their evergreen craters and the undulating green rift valley floor. The view from here is just amazing. Make sure to take as many photos from here as you can. 7:00am: – Mt Longonot National Park Drop into the rift valley and 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.
12:00pm: – Mt. Longonot –Lake Naivasha Descend from the Longonot mountain for the base at the park headquarters. Relax for some while and take on the drive to Lake Naivasha. 1:00pm: – Lunch at Marina Camp Arrive at Marina camp and enjoy a sumptuous lunch at their restaurant by the lakeside while watching the lakes beauty and the birds flying by. 2:30pm: – Boat Ride in Lake Naivasha Go on an hour boat ride in this wonderful rift valley lake. The boat ride will take you to see the hundreds of birds in this lake including the diving African fish eagle which dives in the water to catch fish without ever missing. You will also go to the hippo pool and see the hippos as they swim and bleat inside the water while opening their mouths to over 180 degrees. 4:00pm: – Lake Naivasha -Nairobi Depart Lake Naivasha for Nairobi going through the lush Kikuyu highlands and arrive back in Nairobi at 5:30 pm. You will be dropped off at your hotel or residency within Nairobi CBD.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Apartments Villas Hostels Any hotel/residence within Nairobi
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(38)
A superb experience at Mount Longono! Isaac picked me up in the morning, very punctual, impeccable car and very friendly. He dropped me off at the park entrance where Peter was waiting for me for the expedition. Hiking was a bit harder than I imagined, but Peter was really adorable and very attentive. Small tip: consider taking a bottle (plastic bottles are prohibited, a bottle costs about $2 on site). The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and the view from the top is exceptional. I hope to be able to come back to do the grand tour next time, in better shape! On the way back, Isaac was waiting for me exactly where he had dropped me off, always as punctual and kind. I highly recommend Isaac and Peter for this amazing experience! ———— An amazing experience at Mount Longono! Isaac picked me up in the morning – very punctual, the car was spotless, and he was extremely kind. He dropped me off at the park entrance where Peter was waiting to start the hike. The trail was a bit more challenging than I expected, but Peter was absolutely wonderful and very attentive throughout. Tip: bring a reusable water bottle (plastic bottles are not allowed, and a bottle on-site costs around $2). The scenery is breathtaking, and the view from the top is truly spectacular. I hope to come back one day to do the full circuit when I’m in better shape! On the way back, Isaac was waiting exactly where he had dropped me off – again, very punctual and friendly. I highly recommend Isaac and Peter for this unforgettable experience!
Hello, Thank you for your glowing review. We are glad to hear that you had an excellent experience with Perfect Safaris. It's fantastic that Isaac and Peter contributed to making your Mt Longonot hike memorable. We appreciate your kind words and recommendation. If your travels bring you back to Kenya, we'd be delighted to host you again for more adventures. Regards Susan
Great experience hiking Mt Longonot with driver Dennis and very knowledgable Guide Joshua. As a solo traveller, I was originally looking for a group hike, and could not find one on TripAdvisor. Generally, it would be nice for local operators to include group outings which could appeal to solo travellers. I was happy to see that at the trailhead I joined another group with the Joshua, which added to the experience. At the same time, it was nice to have a separate driver as I needed to skip the lake and get back to Nairobi. Entire experience went smoothly thanks to Dennis and Joshua. Some tips to others planning to do this hike: - According to Strava, the loop around the crater is 6.2km not 7.2km as indicated on the display at the rim. Not clear to me which is right, but my legs suggest 6.2km. - Bring enough water. We had a cool and overcast day (which was good), but I still needed 1.5L of water. On a hot sunny day, I'd easily recommend twice that much. - Make sure you get there early on weekends, there were large crowds by the time we we ready to walk back down to the car. - Expect traffic to and from the trailhead.
Hello, Thank you for sharing your positive experience with Perfect Safaris. We are delighted to hear that your entire experience was flawless. It's fantastic that you had an amazing driver, Dennis and guide, Joshua, who made your solo trip memorable. The ascent of Mt. Longonot sounds like incredible experiences, and we appreciate your feedback. We hope to welcome you back for more amazing adventures in the future with us. Regards Susan
Was a great tour exploring all over Kenya with Stephen. Stephen was very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic then entire tour. Hiked up Mt. Longonot which has breathtaking views. I went with hiking guide Joshua who was extremely patient, knowledgeable and a pleasure to hike with. The weather could not have been any better. The boat ride was really nice and relaxing. Saw hippos and various species of birds up close. Excellent tour and highly recommend especially for photography.
Hi, Thank you for sharing your experience. We are glad to hear that you had a fabulous time on Mt Longonot and enjoyed hiking and beautiful scenery. We're glad your guides were great and that you had an awesome time on the boat ride, getting to see hippos and birds up close. We are delighted that you had a truly memorable day and hope to welcome you back for more unforgettable experiences in the future. Regards Susan
He taught me about Kenya and his driving skills were good and safe. We are very happy with the tour, as it goes smoothly and according to plan
Hello Shunto, Thank you for your review and a 5-rating! We are glad you enjoyed your day trip to Mt Longonot. The driver's skills are indeed commendable, and we are pleased to hear that he gave you some history about Kenya. Thank you so much for your feedback. Regards Susan
This was a great day trip from Nairobi! The hike was challenging but worth the incredible views. Our guide was great and patient. Would highly recommend for anyone wanting to get out of the city!
Hello, Thank you for taking time to leave us such a great review and a 5-star rating. We are glad to know that you had a positive experience with us despite challenges. Your feedback is valuable, and we really appreciate. We look forward to welcoming you back for another memorable tour experience. Regards Susan
I did a trip to Mt Longonot today with Stephen. Stephen picked me up on time from my hotel and drove very safely and on time to Mt Longonot. We arrived to Mt Longonot and met a local guide (Joshua) who accompanied me for the hike. The hike took around 4 hours, including the round trip along the rim. The hike itself is split into a few sections: 1) the hike up to the rim, this is around 3km and is all uphill as you'd expect. It took us around 1 hour. 2) the hike to the summit, again this took around 1 hour. 3) the hike from the summit to the start of the full descent, again around 1 hour. 4) hike down to the gate, once more around an hour. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and knew the answers to all my questions. I then met up again with Stephen and we drove back to Nairobi. On the way back we encountered very bad traffic but Stephen expertly and safely navigated this and remained positive the whole journey, and we arrived back in Nairobi around 3:30pm. I would highly recommend this tour.
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to leave us such a great review. We gre glad to know that you had a positive experience with us; in the company of Stephen. Your feedback is valuable, and we really appreciate. We look forward to welcoming you back for another memorable tour experience. Regards Susan
My guide Isaac is very nice and kind. Great experience with him, everything is tailed and privat. Lake Naivasha is very beautiful, highly recommended as well to go on the island to take a walk.
Hello, It sounds like you had a wonderful experience with Isaac and enjoyed the beauty of Lake Naivasha. Thank you for recommending the island walk—it sounds like a lovely addition to the trip. Regards Sylvia
We ended up doing the full route which was an excellent climb although a little difficult for my 68 dad, excellent views and got to see some animals on the walk back down ( giraffes and zebras). Isaac our driver was very good and spoke to us about Nairobi and the surrounding area. Overall definitely recommend
Hello, Thank you for sharing your experience. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the full route climb and got to witness some amazing wildlife along the way. Isaac is indeed a fantastic guide, and we're glad he provided you with insightful information about Nairobi and its surroundings. Your recommendation means a lot to us. Regards Sylvia
Fantastic trip. The guide Frank and Patrick the driver were really amazing. Great fun guys and very knowledgable. I would fully recommend this excursion to anyone. We would definitely use this company again.
Hello Robin, Thank you for your review. We're thrilled to hear that you had a fantastic trip with Frank and Patrick. We're glad they provided amazing service and were knowledgeable guides. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we look forward to welcoming you back for another unforgettable excursion in the future. Regards Sylvia
Excellent, very professional and very friendly driver and guides, good coordination of activities! Remember to take plenty of water and sunscreen
Bonjour, Merci pour votre retour positif ! Nous sommes ravis d'apprendre que vous avez trouvé notre chauffeur et nos guides professionnels et sympathiques, et que vous avez apprécié la coordination des activités pendant votre voyage. Votre rappel concernant l'eau et la crème solaire est précieux pour les futurs invités. Nous sommes impatients de vous accueillir à nouveau pour une autre expérience mémorable. Salutations Sylvie
