101km northwest of Nairobi, i.e two hours relaxed drive, took us to Naivasha, one of the common weekend destination towns in Kenya. It is such a nice town surrounded by the blessings of nature.
A friend of mine and I rented a Bolt ride from Nairobi for a 5,000 KSh single trip and set off for Naivasha on the 6th of May 2021. Two hours through the busy road that serves cross country purposes took us to Naivasha. The warm town of Naivasha is one of the large towns in Nakuru county.
The name Naivasha came from the Maasai word Naiposha which means ‘place of rough water‘. Nairobi is also another Maasai word meaning ‘place of cool water‘. The Maasai gave Kenya its identity and the fact that their place names are related to water, soil or greenery speaks much about their connection with nature.
Naivasha falls on the Great East African Rift Valley, due to which the town is endowed with beautiful natural resources. Large freshwater lake, a volcanic plateau, hot spring water, and geothermal, to mention a few.
On arrival, we rented a room at Hotel Chambai, a B&B which we liked very much.
We took a boda-boda to the Sanctuary Farm, paid the entrance fee, and walked all the way down the lake. We met a young boy whose name was John, who introduced himself as a captain.
John, our boat captain, and guide briefed us on what to see in and around the lake.
John briefed us and we agreed to do the boat ride and Island visit the next day. We did some visits to the Sanctuary Farm. The Giraffes, the Zebras, Gazelles, etc were amazing.
We spent the rest of the evening at Sawela lodge, a wonderful lodge on the eastern lakeshore.
The next day, early in the morning, after having breakfast at the Chambai Safari Hotel, we visited some important places such as the Sanctuary Farm, Crescent Island, Hells Gate Park, Mount Longonot, and others.
We took a bodaboda ride to the lake, where John was waiting for us. Our captain took us on a boat ride to the lake. Lake Naivasha is formed by a fault. 20 kilometers long north-south, 13 kilometers wide east-west, 20 meters deep, the lake is 1900 meters above sea level. With an area of about 260 square kilometers, it is the highest lake in the rift valley. In the middle of the lake is Crescent Island, a private wildlife reserve.
We ate lunch at an Italian Restaurant.
In the afternoon, we drove to Hell’s Gate National Park and Mount Longonot.
We spent the rest of the day back at Sawela Lodge and drove back to Nairobi late afternoon.
We were there for two days and Naivasha was amazing. But exploring more places and enjoying each place will need more days. You can doa four-day tour and it would be amazing.
1. Different activities inside the Sanctuary Farm:
- Boat ride Naivasha lake and a visit to Crescent Island (half day)
- visiting wildlife on the lakeshore of Naivasha lake and horse ride (half day)
- Camping
2. Hell’s Gate Park (half day)
3. Hike to Mount Longonot ( Full day)
4. Enjoy at Great Rift Valley Lodge, Sawela Lodge, or another luxurious lodge around the lake.
***
Thanks to my friend Kibrom Alema, who encouraged me to go and covered all the expenses of the tour.
You can read more on…
