Mount Longonot National Park Kenya : Mount Longonot National Park is known as sheer adventure, rising from the floor of the Great Rift Valley like a monolith – to the extinct volcano of Mount Longonot. The park has a unique feature of the thick forest that lies within the crater of the mountain. The crater edge also offers great scenic views across the beautiful Rift Valley all the way to Lake Naivasha.
The fact that, Mount Longonot refers to stratovolcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya ‘’East Africa’ ’It is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s and got its name from the Maasai word Oloonong’ot, meaning ‘’mountains of many spurs’’ or ‘’steep ridges’’. More fact, the gate elevation is around 2150 meter and the peak at 2776 meter but following the jagged edge that involves substantially more than the 630meter vertical difference.
The park is protected by Kenya Wildlife Service and lies 60 kilometers northwest of Nairobi and may be accessed from there by a tarmac road. The nearby town is also named Longonot.
Geographically, Mt Longonot is a stratovolcano which contains large caldera formed by vast eruptions of trachytic lava some 21,000 years ago. Currently summit cone was developed within the earlier caldera. The cone itself is capped by a 1.8 kilometers crater. There are many parasitic cones and effusive lava eruptions that occur on the flanks and within the caldera floor of the mountain. More to that, the mountain is home to wide range of wildlife species, namely plains zebra, giraffe, Thomson’s gazelle, buffaloes and hartebeest among others.
Climate;
The park’s temperature ranges from 20 – 300 c and rainfall from 200mm- 700 mm.
Attractions to see in Mount Longonot National Park;
Wildlife species are the major tourist attractions at the park include buffaloes, elands, lion, leopard, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffes and Grant’s gazelles among others.
Extinct volcano and crater forest, scenic landscape, views of lake Naivasha and the Great Rift Valley.
The park is a haven for birds of prey, spotted birds includes; Cisticolidae species such as Wailing Cisticola, Rattling Cisticola, Tawny -flanked Prinia, Hunter’s Cisticola, Lesser Kestrel, Lanner and Falcon and Peregrine mentioned but few.
Activities done in Mount Longonot National Park
They include; Biking, Game viewing, Hiking, Rock climbing, Viewing Lake Naivasha and Walking among others.
Hiking
This is one of the major activities done in the park, when it comes to Kenya Hiking Destination. Mount Longonot is one of them, where you have the chance to hike up to a spectacular viewpoint at the rim of a volcano, the experience can take 1 to 2 hours but depending on traveler’s body fitness. Right from the park’s gate is a 3.1kilometers trail that runs you up to the crater rim. Hiking up the rim seem to be easy but sometimes is a challenge to your acumens. So, you need to be reasonably fit to accomplish it but the reward from the rim is more impressive experience.
Once you access the rim, it’s you to choose to walk along the perimeter of the caldera which covers about 7.2 kilometers to reach the top and on top you will have spectacular views to its end.
Regulars’ hikers usually set like to set off in a counter -clockwise direction for the beautiful views and a better ascension to its summit. The whole loop of 13 kilometers to and from the park gate can last to 5 hours while permitting the necessary stops.
The heroic hikers who need to venture into the caldera, your required to get permission from the park ranger and a guide, if you plan to match in their footsteps, the trail that leads there is not marked well and could be dangerous. It is advised to take a plan of campsite inside the crater which can be done by yourself.
Wildlife viewing
Wild viewing in the park is best done in the dense forested areas inside the crater and can be seen clearly. You will be able to view several birdlife species right from the rim of the volcano such as Verreaux’s Eagle and the Lammergeier among others.
Accommodations In Mount Longonot National Park
The park has no any accommodation inside the park but visitors can stay in the nearby town of Naivasha and along Moi South Lake Road. There are many perfect range of accommodation options available and some of them are Lake Naivasha country club, Masada Hotel many more.
How to get there;
Mount Longonot National Park can be accessed via tarmac road from Nairobi ‘’90 kilometers’’.
What to take with you;
Travelers are advised to carry essentials like pair of binoculars, camera, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and guidebook ,mineral drinking water bottle ,picnic items and camping equipment if you intend to stay overnight.
Get started now! You can book with Us Achieve Global Safaris your perfect Kenya Hiking Safaris or combine it with a visit to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for Gorilla Trekking Experience. Get started planning now – to adventure more of the park’s hidden features of Mount Longonot National Park.
