Mount Longonot is a stratovolcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, Africa. It is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s. Its name is derived from the Maasai word Oloonong’ot, meaning “mountains of many spurs” or “steep ridges”. It stands at the foot of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya near Mai Mahiu town with its rim at an altitude of 2560m. It is a dormant volcano (quiet/sleeping but might erupt again) leaving a habitable crater on top of it.
Coordinates < 37m 0217379>
< UTM 9899652>
Our tour starts from Nairobi on a Saturday morning. The journey takes us about 2hrs to arrive at the Mt. Longonot National Park. The distance to the rim is 3.1km. That is a steep climb of about two hour’s time, more or less depending on the hikers’ fitness. The mountain has several deep gulley brought about by the severe soil erosion after heavy rains. The dusty ground filled with loose sand does not make the hike any better.
Upon completing the 3.1 km hike, one arrives at the Oloonongot Crater Point. The distance around the rim is 7.2km which takes approximately another two hours.
Wildlife
The hike is better if done during the morning hours. This is to avoid the effects of the midday sun-too much heat- and proper hiking shoes are also appropriate.
