The crater rim
7.2 km loop.
Nina R — CC BY 2.0 · Nina R — CC BY 2.0 · Nina R — CC BY 2.0 · Baldfatchris — CC BY-SA 4.0 · RVBS — CC BY-SA 4.0
Longonot is a dormant volcano in the Great Rift Valley southeast of Lake Naivasha. A wide, deep crater is floored with green forest, a sharp rim curls around it, and from the top you see the Rift Valley, the lake and the plains to the horizon. It is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s. Its name comes from a Maasai word meaning «mountain of many spurs» or «steep ridges». Its summit crater is 1.8 km across and sits inside a larger caldera formed about 21,000 years ago. The highest point is 2,776 m, and the park gate is at about 2,150 m. You climb a 3.1 km trail from the gate to the crater rim, then, if you wish, walk the 7.2 km loop around the rim. The full round is about 13.5 km and takes four to five hours. The mountain is about 60 km northwest of Nairobi and about 22 km in a straight line south of Naivasha. Parts of the trail are very steep and eroded, so wear walking shoes, bring plenty of water and sunscreen, and start early.
7.2 km loop.
On the floor.
From above.
Mount Longonot National Park, southeast of Lake Naivasha
Yes, very steep in places.
Yes.