
Mount Longonot
day trip hiking tour to the top of the
Great Rift Valley will give you the chance
to experience the freedom and awesome
wildness of East Africa.
Mt
Longonot is just less than 9100 ft above sea level with a tree filled interior
and a lonesome steam vent to the northeast. A climb up Mount Longonot is an ideal
day trip from either Nairobi or Naivasha. Best time to visit / travel is the months
of January to April and from September to December.
Mount
Longonot day trip hiking tours departs
daily from Nairobi after breakfast and
the drive takes approximately an hour.
You start the assent at 6000 ft. Like
all good uphill hikes it will lull you
in to a sense of false security with a
slow gentle rise to the first peak.
This
gives you a chance to get your lungs and limbs freed up for the second section,
which is the most awesome. At the end of each section there is a rest point where
you can prepare yourself for the next part of your journey.
You
will have started early to avoid the heat of the Sun but by the time you reach
the end of the second section you would have generated your own heat. This hike
is not an easy hike but is achievable by people of average fitness. An indication
of the fitness required is that most school of the age 14 and 15 take this climb
while attending school in Nairobi.
Once
you have finished the second section there is another rest bite of slightly less
demanding terrain, before making the final climb on the fourth section. This again
is a demanding section, though not as demanding as the second section.
As
you heave yourself over the rim of the crater your reward is the awesome sight
of Naivasha and the Great Rift Valley and you know that it was all worthwhile.
Before making this climb you will need to acclimatize at 6000 feet. A ranger accompanies
you on the hike.
He
will act as a guide. As there are wild animals in the area he is armed. The whole
tour is only about 89 km long but very steep, so that the round trip of
park gate - Longonot Peak - park gate takes around 5 hours hiking. The gate is
around 2150 metres and the peak at 2780 metres but following the jagged rim involves
substantially more than the 630 metres vertical difference.
Note:
Mt Longonot National Park opening hours:
Departs Daily: 0600
Hours -1800 Hours
Children Between 3 Years to 17
Years pay 50% of the adult price
Mount
Longonot Day Trip hiking tour includes:
Price per person
Car entry Fees into the Park
Meals as stated in the respective itineraries
All Guests entry fees, service charge and taxes
Pickup from your hotel
in Nairobi and drop-off to your hotel
Professional English speaking
guides/ Game Ranger/Community Guide. All are experts in the African wildlife,
culture and tour guiding
Mount
Longonot Day Trip hiking tour does not
include:
Tips or gratuity, drinks; travelers
insurance or any other optional activities
not mentioned in the inclusive list
Laundry,
communication charges, visas, international airfares and airport taxes
Personal expenses such as transfers to/from the airport (supplement airport transfer
cost applies for tours starting from the airport)
Mount
Longonot Day Trip Hiking Tour Requires:
Good pair of walking
boots (broken-in)
Walking stick. An adjustable sprung loaded stick is
best
Camera, sun cream, plus your sweater that
will be removed during the climb
Pair of woolen socks as recommended
by the boots manufacturer/sales man
All of this hike is over rough ground
and has all the hazards of hiking up steep
inclines
Don't under estimate dehydration. Drink
water at the end of each section, and
as required.
Rucksack. Large enough to carry
2 x ½ litter of water plus few
sandwiches to eat at the top
The ranger's advice on all matters
including your rate of progress should
always be listened to
Animals. There are numerous animals
in the area; the most commonly seen is
the giraffe or dik-dik.
The crater can be circumnavigated, this
takes another 4 hours via a narrow path.
In some places this path has steep slopes
on both sides and is not without danger.