Kenya / Rift Valley & Maasai Mara / Lake NaivashaLake Naivasha
Hippos, a Gorge to Cycle Through and Walking Among Giraffes
A freshwater lake in the Rift Valley, two hours from Nairobi, ringed by fever trees and full of hippos and fish eagles. Hell's Gate National Park next door is one of the few parks where you can cycle and walk among zebra and giraffe, down to a gorge of hot springs; Crescent Island is a walking sanctuary reached by boat. Mount Longonot's crater rim is a half-day hike. The usual first stop on the way to the Mara or Lake Nakuru.
Highlights
- Hippos and fish eagles from a boat
- Cycling through Hell's Gate among zebra and giraffe
- The Hell's Gate gorge walk
- Walking among giraffes on Crescent Island
- Mount Longonot crater rim hike
- Elsamere, Joy Adamson's house
- Olkaria geothermal spa
Things to do
- Cycle Hell's Gate and walk the gorge with a guideMorning · 4h 30m
- Hippo boat trip on the lakeAfternoon · 1h 30m
- Crescent Island walk among giraffe and zebraAfternoon · 2h
- Mount Longonot crater rim hikeMorning · 5h
- Tea at ElsamereAfternoon · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: June – October, December – March
Worth knowing
Long Rains: Muddy Roads, Some Camps Closed
⚠️ The long rains fall from about April to May: heavy afternoon storms, black-cotton soil roads that trap vehicles, and some tracks and river crossings closed. Many seasonal camps in the Mara, Samburu and Laikipia close; those that stay open cut their prices. Allow extra time on the roads, and bush flights can be delayed.
Heads up
Short Rains
The short rains bring brief showers, mostly in the afternoon, from about November into early December. Game drives still run; tracks can be muddy for a day after a storm.