1-Day Hiking Adventure at Mount Longonot from Nairobi

Mount Longonot day trip hiking Background

With a drive from Nairobi along the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the stunning view of Mount Longonot beckons, barely 60km from of Nairobi. This remarkable colossus dominates the surrounding landscape. The mountain has lava canyons on its steep slopes. There is also a circular caldera over a kilometer in diameter. The mountain is a dormant volcano said to have last erupted in the mid-1800s. The mountain is rises at about 750m above the Great Rift Valley floor and some 2776m above the sea level. There are a number of viewpoints on the highway to this mountain which have become popular stopovers for the motorists drawn by the splendor of this outstanding view.

The entire mountain is a National Park within the jurisdiction of Kenya Wildlife Services. The park is home to a number of wild games, most of which harbor in the thick forest covering the crater floor. Spotting the animals (wildlife) is not guaranteed.

Mount Longonot hiking route description

Hiking on this mountain takes approximately 2 hours from the Park Gate to reach the rim of the crater rim and descent back to the gate. The hike going round the crater rim would mean another two hours, thus the total hike takes approximately 4 hours for the round trip. You might want to include a visit to Lake Naivasha for a sunset boat ride to see hippos before return to Nairobi.

The path up the mountain slope is pretty steep and can get slippery at some points. Thus, hikers need to be reasonably fit to take part on this hike. The magnificent views from the crater rim itself are however worth every painful step and the effort. This day hiking is of moderate difficulty with steep climbing. Terrain has fine dust, with loose gravel in some areas of the hike.

You should bring with you comfortable hiking shoes, light clothing, extra drinking water, snacks and picnic lunch for this Mount Longonot day trip hiking tour.