Fantastic Weekend Part 1: Longonot Climb

Mt Longonot National Park

The park is mostly savannah, surrounding Mount Longonot (9,100 ft), and it lies 56 miles from Nairobi.
On the sides of the mountain are many valleys and ridges with little vegetation, but within the crater center there is a thick forest.   You can see roaming buffaloes, elands, lion, zebra, giraffe, grant gazelles, and thomson gazelles. From the top of Mt. Longonot there are fantastic views of Lake Naivasha and the Great Rift Valley. Mt Longonot is a dormant volcano, and 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". A 2 mile trail runs from the park entrance up to the crater rim, and continues in a 4.5 mile loop encircling the crater. Parts of the trail are heavily eroded and very steep. The gate is around 7,000 ft and the peak is at 9,100 ft but following the jagged rim involves substantially more than the 2,100 vertical difference.

Before picture!

  

This one explains itself. Buffaloes will charge you! After the sign, we kept singing Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldier-- here it is for you: Sing it!

Almost through the first two miles-- very strenuous-- but we still have smiles on our faces!

 

We made it to the rim!

 

There is a hut at the rim for shade and a water break! There were quite a lot of people there.

 

Excited for stage 2: the rim!  

  

Rochelle and Philip wore the "wrong shoes" and had to keep emptying them out along the way. Great water breaks for Claire since she kept needing to re-apply sunscreen and eventually drank 2.5ish litres on the hike!

Nearing the top of the rim!

  

We made it!!! ... if you type in Kilele Ngamia into google somehow it means "peak camel"?

 

  

Fighting over the cold Tab!

Lifetime supply of Tab? please Coca-Cola?

There was a friendly group not too far behind us :)

 

An amazing view!!!

.....we continued around the rim, hot and sweaty-- and met Ginger at the bottom! Success!

Afterwards, we headed to the pool-- which was very oddly green. We just kept our mouths and noses shut-- pretending we were swimming in Greenlake. 

Rochelle gave Philip some swimming lessons-- it was another great end to another great day. We did a lot more that weekend, so there will be additional posts to follow!

....back to work---- slides should be out shortly---