Mount Longonot National Park Kenya

“Sheer Adventure” Rising from the floor of the Great Rift Valley like a monolith is the extinct volcano of Mount Longonot is a unique feature is a thick forest that lies within the crater of the mountain. The crater rim also provides great scenic views across the beautiful Rift Valley all the way to Lake Naivasha. Major wildlife attractions at Mount Longonot include buffaloes, elands, lions, leopards, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffe, and Grant’s gazelles.

Mount Longonot is an extinct volcano that rises from the floor of the Great Rift Valley like a pillar. Mount Longonot National Park is located southeast of Lake Naivasha in the great rift valley of Kenya– East Africa. Approximately 90km from Nairobi, Kenya`s capital city. Mountain Longonot is said to have erupted way back in the 1860s. This strata volcano has a large 8x12km caldera formed by vast eruptions of trachytic lava. The name Longonot came from the Masai word Oloonong’ot, meaning “mountains of many spurs” or “steep ridges. Mount Longonot is a small National Park of only 52km2 and is protected by Kenya Wildlife service.

The ecosystem of Longonot National Park comprises of a mountain rising 2,776m above sea level. On the sides of the mountain are V-shaped valleys and ridges with little vegetation. A 3.1 km trail runs from the park entrance up to the crater rim and continues in a 7.2 km loop encircling the crater. A unique feature of a thick forest occurs within the mountain crater. The crater rim also offers stunning scenic views across the beautiful Rift Valley all the way to Lake Naivasha. Major wildlife attractions in Mount Longonot include buffaloes, elands, lions, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffe and Grant’s gazelles, Thomson gazelles, and many other antelopes. Leopards have also been spotted but can be difficult to spot.

Abbott’s Starling, Lesser Kestrel (a passage migrant on the moorland), Jackson’s widowbird, Sharpe’s, Longclaw, Olive Ibis, Lammergeier, Ayres’s hawk-eagle, African Crowned Eagle, African Grass Owl, Cape Eagle-Owl, Purple-throated Cuckoo-shrike, Long-tailed Widowbird, Abyssinian Owl, Scarlet-tufted Sunbird, and Kenrick’s Starling which is confined to this area in Kenya.

Major wildlife attractions in Mount Longonot National Park include buffaloes, elands, lions, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffe and Grant’s gazelles, Thomson gazelles, and many other antelopes. Leopards have also been spotted but can be difficult to spot.

Size of Mount Longonot national park Kenya

Mount Longonot National Park is a small National Park of only 52km2 and is protected by Kenya Wildlife service. The ecosystem of Longonot National Park comprises of a mountain rising 2,776m above sea level.

Location of Mount Longonot national park Kenya

Longonot is a young dormant volcano that is located southeast of Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, Africa.

How to Get Mount Longonot national park

The park is accessible via tarmac through Kamandura-Mai Mahiu-Narok which is 90 km which can take 3-4 by road from Nairobi.

Things to do in Mount Longonot national park Kenya

The crater rim of Mount Longonot

While at the crater rim, look out for geothermal steam coming out from several fissures around the crater rim, a reminder of the energy trapped beneath your feet.

Stunning Scenery

The views from the rim of the volcano are dramatic! From the elevated perch, you will get a perfect birds-eye view over a large section of the amazing southern Rift Valley, all the way to Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains in the distance. Beautiful Lake Naivasha will also be beckoning, as will Hell’s Gate National Park, both of which you can visit when you leave Mount Longonot.

Wildlife encounters

On a good day, you see a selection of wildlife on your way up to the rim, and those who venture into the forested crater should also be on the lookout for; Buffalo, Zebra, Giraffe, several species of Antelopes, Baboons, and Leopard which is very elusive, but tracks have been spotted inside the park. A good number of Rift Valley birds may be spotted like a host of raptors which can be seen catching the thermals over the crater. Specifically, look out for Verreaux’s Eagle and Lammergeier.

When to visit Mount Longonot national park

When the weather is good (generally January to March and July to October), Mount Longonot offers staggering views, which take in the shimmering waters of Lake Naivasha, the lilac-blue scarps of the Mau Escarpment, the brooding peaks of the Aberdares, and the rolling waves of the Rift Valley itself.