What do you know about Lake Naivasha? Lake Naivasha is also known as ‘sheer adventure’ and is situated in the rising part of the Great Rift Valley. The park got its name from the dominant and centred fresh water lake – Naivasha which means in local direct as ‘rough water’ that is driven from Maasai word Naiposha.
It’s located a few kilometres from Naivasha town and this is one on the national parks in Kenya that are highly visited.
It covers an area of 140square kilometres and it was established in 1995. The biggest part of the park is covered by fresh waters that are seasonal and shallow. Some of its parts are taken up by flower growing firms and these have been favoured by fresh waters, these flowers have now gained market internationally.
The two lakes that surround this park are Lake OloIdien and Lake Sonachi also called green craters. It has unique features such as the exotic mountain Longonot, forest that is thick and found around Crater Mountain and also dominated by umbrella acacia trees that are found on the banks of lakes.
This national park is gifted with many attractions which will make your safari memorable and adventurous and these include the following;
It is home of over 340 bird species such as great cormorants, fish eagles, pelicans, kingfishers among others and several wildlife such as hippos, leopards, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, lions among others.
Crescent island: it’s a private island sanctuary that is situated in the rift valley and it’s not fenced at all which enables animals to move from one point to another freely. This can be accessed on a boat or even a 4×4 vehicle passing through the swamp area but using a boat is safer and highly recommended.
Elsamere: These are trees that are found on the banks of the lakes and have sisals. These forests consist of different species of trees and such include yellow fever, candelabra euphorbia among others.
Crater lake game sanctuary: This Crater Lake was formed by volcanic activity and situated in the center of the park. It is a birder’s hub with over 150 bird species recorded around the crater sanctuary. Also it’s a home of much wildlife such as zebras, giraffe, and leopards among others.
Lake Naivasha: it is the largest attraction in the park. It got its name from the blue waters that are very rough during the wet seasons. It’s a home to several animals and bird species like hippos and the banks are covered by papyrus and forest trees.
Therefore, this makes it easy for birding and game viewing while around this lake. Activities like fishing, boat rides, birding among others are practiced here.
Mount Longonot; this has an elevation of 2,776 meters above sea level and it’s an extinct volcano. In 1860s, it’s when this mountain last erupted and it was named by the Maasai natives as Olo Nongot which is also referred to as mountain of many summits.
Hiking this mountain is a great encounter as you discover large crater rim on top with no water and reaching the summit can take between 3 and 5 hours.
Activities in this park are quite many and these among others are game viewing which can last between 2-4 hours’ drive, birding, horseback riding, hiking mount Longonot, boat cruise, nature walks among others. All these are done after booking in advance for earlier preparation and make your stay comfortable.
We can arrange accommodation in this national park depending on your budget and preferences. Options range from shoestring camping, budget, standard to luxury. All these have furnished rooms, with both warm and cold water located in breath taking environment. Camping grounds are provided for in the park and other private neighbouring campsites.
When to visit Lake Naivasha?
This lake can be visited any time of the year but the best time is in dry season when the weather is favourable to carryout different activities like birding, game drives and photography. This can be done in the months of June to October and December to February.
