Kenya Walking & Cycling Safaris: Mt. Longonot & Hells Gate Kenya

Mt. Longonot National Park

Mount Longonot is a relatively young volcano which peaks at 2,776m above sea level. Mt. Longonot is a captivating sight for tourists to the Great Rift Valley basin of Naivasha. Mt. Longonot was formed during the great Pleistocene era when earth forces were tearing apart the continents and eruptions rife. The mountain sides now have beautifully carved V-shaped ridges and valleys with deep forests inside the crater giving it a lush green outlook. The Mt. Longonot walking park surrounds the volcano.

Mt. Longonot Facts & figures

Rising at an altitude of 6,000-7,000ft, mt. Longonot trekking park covers an area of 52sqkm. The Kenya walking park is located 90kms from Nairobi and opened its doors in 1983. It has heavy volcano and crater forests and offers excellent walking and climbing opportunities to the summit and crater.

Mt. Longonot Close Proximity to Nairobi offers a chance for day trips where groups engage in active sport like game walking, cycling, riding and picnicking. The summit offers panoramic views of the Lake Naivasha and the expansive Great Rift Valley floor including several other bluffs and smaller mountains like mt. Suswa.

Activities in Mt. Longonot National Park

Like Hell's Gate, Mount Longonot offers a wide range of attractions for visitors keen on activity holidays, including hiking, rock climbing, biking as well as bird and wildlife viewing. K.W.S. rangers are available as guides.

Accommodation in Longonot Mountain Park

Accommodation within these parks is limited. Hell's Gate has three campsites; Longonot has no accommodation within the park. However a fabulous range of nearby hotels, lodges, luxury ranch and home stays around Lake Naivasha provide ample accommodation for all budgets.

Hell?s Gate National Park

Hell?s gate is an ideal family gateway for a day trip from Nairobi or stopover en-route to Lake Nakuru or the Maasai Mara, located just beyond Lake Naivasha. Hell?s gate national park is famous for its natural hot geyser, eagle and vulture breeding grounds, visitors have the choice of driving, walking, camping, cycling and rock climbing within the park. Kenya Horseback safaris are also arranged.

Special features

There are special locations for that spectacular view including Fisher's Tower, formerly a volcano's plug, the Central Tower and Njorowa Gorges. There are also two extinct volcanoes: Olkaria and Honley's are worth a trip. There are natural steam vents rise from cracks in the volcanic rock. Obsidian, a striking black glassy rock formed from cooled molten lava is a feature of this landscape.

Wildlife and animals of Hell?s gate national park

There is a lot of plains game but the cats family is not well represented here. Wild life in the park include: Coke's Hartebeest, buffalo, Maasai Giraffe, eland, lion, leopard and some cheetah. The park is a haven for birders and rock climbers, the cliffs of Hell's Gate are breeding grounds for vultures, Verreaux's Eagles, aigur buzzard and thousands of swifts; 103 species of bird have been recorded in the park.

Hell?s gate National Park facts and figures

The Hell?s gate stands at 5,000-7,000ft above sea level and covers an area of 68sq. kms. Hell?s gate is located 90kms from Nairobi and was opened in 1984. Game viewing includes Lions, buffalo and giraffe. The park is a traditional Eagle nesting ground with spectacular gorge walk. Other special features include hot springs in the natural open and air saunas.

Activities in Hell?s gate safari park

Activities undertaken in the park include game walking, camping, rock climbing, cycling and horse riding. There is also a Masai cultural center that show cases the traditions of the Masai and sells their bead work and curios for the valuable souvenir.

Robert is a east Africa Kenya safari expert and director of landmarksafaris.com. To select some of the best walking safaris in Kenya see here: http://www.landmarksafaris.com/tours/wildlife.php/?refferer=ezinearticles