Lake Naivasha

Naivasha is the freshwater exception among the Rift Valley's soda lakes, which is why it supports a different ecology and a large flower-growing industry along its shores. Boat trips run out among half-drowned fever trees standing dead in the water, past fish eagles that guides call in for the photograph, and among hippo pods that are the reason nobody swims here. Crescent Island, actually a peninsula when the water is low, is a private sanctuary with no predators, so you walk among zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and impala on foot, which is a rare and slightly unnerving experience in Kenya. Nearby Hell's Gate and the volcanic crater of Longonot make the area the standard weekend escape from Nairobi.

History

From 1937 to 1950 flying boats of Imperial Airways landed on the lake on the passenger and mail route from Southampton to South Africa, and Joy Adamson, author of Born Free, lived on its shores in the mid-1960s (Wikipedia, Lake Naivasha).

What's there

• Crescent Island - walking safari among plains game with no predators present.
• Boat trips among the fever trees - drowned acacias, fish eagles and hippo pods.
• Elsamere - Joy Adamson's former home on the lakeshore, now a small museum.
• Mount Longonot - a volcanic crater with a steep rim walk, half an hour away.

When to go

The drier months for boat trips and walking. Early morning and late afternoon are the best hours on the water for birds and light, and the safest, since afternoon wind can whip up the lake surprisingly fast.

What to expect

Hippo cause more human deaths in Africa than most predators, and boats here operate close to them; use a licensed operator and follow instructions rather than pushing for a closer photograph. The lake level swings dramatically, which changes access and has flooded lakeside properties in recent years. Flower farm runoff and abstraction are a long-running environmental issue here.

Nearby

Hell's Gate is minutes away; Lake Nakuru and Mount Longonot are within an hour.

Key facts