Weekend at Naivasha

ust two hours away from the busy city life in Nairobi you will find the beautiful lake Lake Naivasha. But this lake is not the only reason why you absolutely must make a trip to this region called the Great Rift Valley. In this travel guide, I will tell you exactly what you can do in the area of Lake Naivasha! In the area of Lake Naivasha National Park, you will find Hell’s Gate National Park, a safari park where you can do a bicycle safari! You can also climb Mount Longonot volcano here. Read about this and more awesome activities and things to do in the surroundings of Lake Naivasha in Kenya.

6 awesome activities and things to do near Lake Naivasha!

There are more than enough activities and cool things to do in the surroundings of Lake Naivasha. Below you will find an overview!

1. Thé number one activity at Lake Naivasha: take a boat trip on the lake!

Lake Naivasha is a beautiful lake full of birds and hippos. A boat trip on the lake is highly recommended. You will most likely spot hippos, herons, pelicans and dozens of other birds. With a little luck, you can even see a lost flamingo. These animals used to be found in Lake Naivasha, but due to the rise in water levels, they have been migrated to neighbouring lakes such as Lake Nakuru and Lake Baringo.

2. Fun thing to do in Hell’s Gate National Park: a safari on a bicycle or a hike!

Hell’s Gate National Park is one of the few national parks in Kenya where you can walk and cycle freely. Because there are no elephants, lions or leopards, the park is safe to move through the park without a ranger, guide and car.

The bike ride runs through dusty roads in about 8 kilometres to the canyon. Along the way, you will see zebras, giraffes, buffalos, impalas and wild hogs, with yellow and orange rocks in the background. There are three different hikes in the canyon that you can do, short, medium and long.

3. Climbing a volcano: Mount Longonot

The hike to Mount Longonot was a really cool experience! You climb the volcano and then walk around the entire crater. The way up is steep, but easy to do. Along the way, you will see footprints of monkeys and behind you lays the beautiful Lake Naivasha. Once at the top, you will see the deep crater of the volcano. This is completely filled with trees, a large green blanket underneath you. It is not advisable to enter the crater, there seem to be dozens of poisonous snake species.

4. Walk among the wildlife on Crescent Island in Lake Naivasha

A very cool thing to do is visiting Crescent Island. This is a small private island in Lake Naivasha. It is made into a nature reserve. Officially it is not an island but a peninsula. Here you will find wild animals such as zebras, giraffes, impalas and with great luck a leopard.

5. Admire the beautiful wildlife in the crater Crater Lake Game Sanctuary volcano

Just like Mt Longonot, Crater Lake Game Sanctuary is also a volcano, with a large lake in the crater. Around the volcano, you will find giraffes, zebras, 150 different species of birds and other animals. Crater Lake Game Sanctuary is located just west of Lake Naivasha and is an area that is perfect for a walk around the lake. There are guides available who can walk with you, but exploring the park on your own is also possible.

6. A multi-day thing to do near Lake Naivasha: Climbing Mount Suswa / Susua

From Lake Naivasha, it is also possible to go to Mount Suswa, a large volcano where hardly any tourists come. In just under three hours you walk to the top of the crater, from where you walk around it in eight hours. If you visit Mount Suswa, you will also spend the night here, camping on a flat piece of grass.

Weekend at Naivasha