Super User 02 August 2023

Best Travel Guide To Mount Longonot Hiking/Climbing Adventures In Kenya

Experience a hike of the beautiful Mount Longonot, a dormant volcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. Mount Longonot contains a large 8 x 12 km caldera formed by vast eruptions of trachytic lava some 21,000 years ago. The current summit cone was developed within the earlier caldera, and a 1.8 km crater caps this cone itself.

Its name is derived from the Maasai word ‘Oloonong'ot, meaning "mountains of many summits" or "steep ridges". It has a unique feature of the thick forest within the mountain's crater. The crater rim also provides great scenic views across the beautiful Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha. The hill has several parasitic cones and effusive lava eruptions that occur on the flanks and within the caldera floor. It is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s.

Mount Longonot offers some of the best hiking experiences in Kenya, from its high-rising ranges to the great peaks. The hike is an awesome challenge to the tourists but rewarding in the sense that once the tourists reach the peak of the Mountain, they can have a site of Lake Naivasha and Hell’s Gate National Park. 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.

How It Takes To Climb Mount Longonot:

The whole tour, gate-around the rim-gate of 13.5 km takes about 4–5 hours allowing for necessary rest breaks - parts of the trail are heavily eroded and very steep. The gate elevation is around 2,150 meters and the peak is at 2,776 meters. Today, the crater floor is home to a dense forest and a thriving ecosystem. The rim, however, is a popular hiking destination, with a trail going around the entire perimeter; and eyesight views of Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate National Park.

Wildlife around Longonot National Park:

Mount Longonot is host to the Mount Longonot National Park which is a habitat for many spectacular wildlife species with common sightings including buffaloes, antelopes, baboons, plains zebra, giraffe, Thomson's gazelle, monkeys, eland, and hartebeest among others.

Birding on Mount Longonot:

Bird watching in the Mount Longonot National Park also offers a chance for birders to spot many bird species such as Fulvous Whistling Duck, Egyptian Goose, Hildebrandt's Francolin, Scaly Francolin, Helmeted Guinea fowl, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Montane Night jar, Mottled Swift, Horus Swift, black stork among others

Mount Longonot from Nairobi City:

Mount Longonot is 60 kilometers northwest of Nairobi and may be reached from there by a tarmac road.

Main Tourist activities on Mount Longonot:

It’s perfect for hiking, birding, game sightings, trekking, guided nature walk tours, and many other attractive activities.

Arrange with Ultimate Wild Safaris for a hiking tour of the Longonot Mountain in Kenya’s Great East African Rift Valley.

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