Lake Naivasha Kenya is located in Nakuru County in Kenya, Lake Naivasha is a large fresh water which sits just outside the town of Naivasha, the lake is situated at an elevation of 1,884 meters, and it is well known that Lake Naivasha is the highest lake within the Great Rift Valley. Lake Naivasha derives its name from the Maasai word for the ‘’rough water’’ due to the sudden storms that are known to arise in the area. Easily accessible from Nairobi, Lake Naivasha is refreshing day Kenya safari tour or weekend break from Kenya’s busy capital.
Lake Naivasha has got a surface of 139km2, thus it dominates the landscape, and it is surrounded by a swamp which covers an area of about 64km2. Beyond the swamp, Lake Naivasha is as well surrounded by the forests of the fever free. The lake’s surface area depends on rainfall and the lake dried up completely in the early c.20th.
Attractions at Lake Naivasha.
Wildlife.
Lake Naivasha is famous for its large numbers of the hippos and the flamingos, where the tourists during their safari to the lake can be able to spot over 1500 hippos in the area, and the tourists are almost guaranteed to see one during their visit to Lake Naivasha. Lake Naivasha is also known for other wildlife species like the giraffes, zebras, impalas, waterbucks and many others, the guests can be able to spot those animal species immediate vicinity of Lake Naivasha, around Crescent island, crater lake game sanctuary and the Longonot National park, also when you’re lucky you can spot the leopard.
Birds.
Lake Naivasha is a birding haven, in that the lake is a home to over 400 bird species, that is mostly the lesser and the greater flamingos do flock to the lake, forming awash of the bright pink across the lake’s surface as this attracts more tourists to visit Lake Naivasha to spot the pink flamingos. Some of the 400 bird species found in Lake Naivasha includes the White-backed Duck, Garganey, Tufted duck, Hottentot Teal, Helmeted Guineafowl, Common Quail, Little Grebe, Namaqua Dove, Speckled pigeon, Black Cuckoo and many more.
Crescent Island.
The crescent island which is also named the crescent moon shape, is found on the east of the lake Naivasha near the town of Naivasha. Crescent Island is a home to the various game sanctuaries, the tours of the sanctuary last between 1.5 to 3 hours, and highlights including walking amongst the resident giraffes and zebras. Filming location for the 1985 romantic drama ‘Out of Africa’.
Crescent lsland is among the major attractions of Lake Naivasha and also it was the primary filming location for the past 1985 romantic drama ‘Out of Africa’.
Elsamere Conservation Centre and lodge.
Elsamere is the former home of the naturist and author, Joy Adamson. Adomson is famous for her book Born Free which documents her experiences of raising Elsa an orphaned lion cub. Elsamere can be paired with the Karen Blixen Museum in Nairobi, the former home of the Danish author Karen Blixen.
The Elsamere has the amazing gardens that are beautiful, and they have been converted into a museum which showcases Adamson’s life and work, the tourists during their safari can also view the colobus monkeys and have tea in the gardens. This is a great spot to relax after a day’s long safari.
Activities at Lake Naivasha.
Boat safari.
Boat safari at Lake Naivasha is among the top activities done at Lake Naivasha by most of the tourists, during the activity the guests gets close to the hippos and flamingos in the lake, as well during the boast safari, if you sight to the shores of the lake you spot animal species like the zebras, giraffes and many others.
A boat safari on Lake Naivasha is one hour, and the lake’s sheer size means that you will not be disrupted by the rumble of other boat engines.
Hiking safari.
Lake Naivasha has got the Crater Lake game sanctuary, which is on the other side of the lake, the Crater Lake game sanctuary is well identified as a great destination for hiking for the tourists, while during the hiking the tourists can also spot animal species like giraffe, zebras and over 150 bird species. The sanctuary has got the breath-taking views of which the guest do enjoy, Lake Naivasha Kenya.
Camping.
Lake Naivasha offers the tourists with the camping experience, here the tourists enjoy the wild nature of Lake Naivasha, the lake Naivasha has got the camp sites that have the basic facilities and amenities ranging from the internet services to modern toilet and bathrooms, and offering the guests activities ranging from the boat rides, bird watching, fishing, swimming, nature guided walks and many more.
Night game drives.
Lake Naivasha offers the tourists with the night game drives that can be at the Crater Lake, here the tourists can be having the opportunity of observing the nocturnal animal species that includes the aardvark, caracal, leopard and many more.
Visiting Longonot National Park.
Longonot national park is just 20 km from Lake Naivasha and the road journey takes you 45 minutes, the tourists who visit Longonot national park takes for them around 4 to 5 hours to climb the dormant volcano, and enjoy the views from the summit are extraordinary. Trekking is not too physically demanding, if you complete the hike in the morning, you spend a relaxing afternoon on a boat trip or game viewing.
Taking a dip at Olkaria geothermal spa.
Tourists do visit the Olkaria geothermal spa which is a unique destination for a day’s trip in Naivasha, located inside Hells’ gate national park. It is called a geothermal hot spa because of the hot water (hot steam that cools in the collecting pipes) that is collected from the various wells within the plant and emptied into the pool, the temperature of the main pool ranges between 30 to 40 degrees centigrade.
Exploring Hells’ gate national park.
The tourists do explore the various features of Hells’ gate national park during the visit in Lake Naivasha that is the dramatic volcanic rocky outcrops, obsidian caves, spitting geysers, rock towers, sandstone cliffs, and water gouged gorges are what makes the park worth visiting. Hells’ gate national park is a great choice for the thrill-seekers, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking and many more activities that can be enjoyed by the tourists.
Visiting Lake Elementaita.
Lake Elementaita is also a home to the tufted-eared caracal, golden and striped jackals and other smaller predators, the lake Elementaita ha more than 450 bird species have been identified in the area though the largest populations are great white pelican and lesser and greater flamingos that attract more tourists in the place.
When to visit Lake Naivasha.
Lake Naivasha is a destination that can be visited all the year around, but the most ideal time, however is between June and October. During those months is summer and it will be hot, but still, it is the ideal time to visit the lake.
Where to stay in Lake Naivasha.
Lake Naivasha has got the accommodation facilities for the guests who come to visit the lake, the accommodation facilities are such comfortable, suitable for the guests that can be categorized into Budget, Mid-range and the luxury accommodations, like the Sawela lodges, Lake Naivasha Resort, The Nest Boutique hotel, Villa Grazia Luxury Hotel, Lake Naivasha Crescent camp, and many more.
How to get to Lake Naivasha.
Lake Naivasha is a short distance from Nairobi City.
The distance is 98kn and takes 2.5 hours along the Old Naivasha Road and the C88.The cheapest way to travel is through the Matatu, a private owned minibus which seats 7 or 8 people.
