Day 1: Nairobi - Mount Longonot
Pick up from your hotel after the breakfast, then drive via the Great Rift Valley with a stopover at view point where you will have a good view of the valley, then proceed to the Mt. Longonot gate. You start the hike from the main gate of the national park, hiking vertically up the dormant volcano, rising over 630 meters to the rim of the crater at 2776 meters above sea level. The walk is very steep and craggy in parts and a trek encircling the rim. This day trek is a good warm up to experience the conditions of a mountain trek and test your stamina for a longer trek, like Mount Kenya or Mount Kilimanjaro. But best of all, from the rim, there are spectacular views into the crater as well as the surrounding landscape taking in Lake Naivasha, open plains, towns and small villages. The crater floor is carpeted by a forest of trees which is home to all sorts of wildlife including zebra, giraffe, buffalo and hartebeest.
Mount Longonot is a dormant stratovolcano (a tall conical volcano built up from many layers of hardened lava) which is believed to have last erupted during the 1860s. The name Mount Longonot is derived from the Masai word ‘oloongonot’ which means ‘a mountain of many spurs or steep ridges. There after descend to the gate and you will have your lunch at Mai Mahiu, thereafter proceed to South Lake Naivasha for dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 2: Lake Naivasha
After the breakfast check out the hotel and then you drive to Hell’s Gate National Park. Soon after you enter the park the impressive landscape unfolds before you, and you are transported to a dramatic, semi-arid world, with sheer rugged cliffs, open plains and deep concealed gorges. There are many activities you can do within Hell’s Gate including, walking, cycling, rock climbing, bird watching and trekking through the gorge amongst the geysers – the choice is yours. Cycle back to the gate and then proceed to Else-mere is home to the late Joy and George Adamson, of Born Free fame for a delicious lunch. This is now a conservation center and museum. Afterwards you will enjoy an hour-long boat ride on Lake Naivasha. You can look out for some of the hundreds of bird species as well as the hippos. During lunch you may even have the company of black and white Colobus monkeys. After the lunch you will proceed to your hotel for relaxing and overnight stay.
Day 3: Crater Lake walking - Lake Nakuru
After breakfast, you proceed south passing through Naivasha town and drive around the southern end of the lake, past the flower farms to Else-mere home to the late Joy and George Adamson, of Born Free fame to Crater Lake Conservancy Area where you walk up to the rim of the beautiful volcanic crater for views down to the emerald-green Crater Lake. Flamingo populations have boomed here recently, having migrated from Lake Nakuru. With your guide you can walk through the conservancy area trekking after plains animals including giraffe, eland and antelope, while admiring the various species of birds and plants. Thereafter in the afternoon you will proceed to lunch and afterwards drive to Lake Nakuru for dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Day 4: Lake Nakuru - Nairobi
Pick up from the hotel after breakfast then proceed to Lake Nakuru National park for the entire day game drive. The game drive starts right from the gate as you will be welcome by the Colobus Monkeys which has become friendly to the travelers though sometimes they may become unfriendly when denied to access in your car. Note you are not allowed to feed them. Lake Nakuru National Park, where you will have a chance to visit is a unique sanctuary catering for a sizeable number of the endangered rhinoceros and the Rothschild giraffe. Waterbucks as well as the predators such as the lion and leopard are common at the park. Also to be seen is a myriad of different variety of birdlife in and around the lake. You will explore the park also get to the observation point where you will have a clear view of the lake as you take photos. At this point the chances of spotting the leopards are very high, thereafter proceed on with the game drive till you have seen more than enough of the wildlife with lots of the rhinos and giraffes. Thereafter you will exit the park and proceed back to Nairobi arriving early evening with a drop off to your hotel of choice.