Things to do in Lake Naivasha
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Lake Naivasha
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Short dry season: hot, calm lake mornings, fewer visitors after New Year, and animals easy around the shore.
Long rains: green country and superb birding, muddy west shore roads, and the likeliest Ol Njorowa Gorge closures.
Long dry season: best cycling, climbing and Longonot conditions, with peak international prices in July to September.
Short rains: greener and quieter with softer prices, and the same gorge caution as the long rains.
Festive peak from mid December: Nairobi empties to the lake, camps and lodges fill, and prices peak.
What's on
- Naivasha Horticultural Fair 18-19 September
Africa's largest flower trade fair at Naivasha Sports Club; it fills town hotels with industry visitors.
Best things to do in Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha
The boat trip is the defining hour here, out among hippo pods, fish eagles, pelicans and herons at dawn.
Crescent Island Game Sanctuary
Walk with a guide among giraffe, zebra and wildebeest on an island with no predators and no vehicles.
Elsamere Conservation Centre
The Adamsons' Born Free home, a small museum and garden, and a high tea rated among the best in Kenya.
Crater Lake Game Sanctuary
A green crater lake ringed by a quiet sanctuary, walked with a guide among giraffe, zebra and buffalo.
Oserengoni Wildlife Sanctuary
Private day and night game drives on 18,000 acres by Lake Oloidien, usually in a vehicle of your own.
Lake Oloidien
The little alkaline lake that merged with Naivasha as waters rose, good for flamingos when conditions suit.
Kariandusi Prehistoric Site
A small museum and dig where early humans made hand axes, in white diatomite cliffs by an ancient lake.
Where to stay in Lake Naivasha
North and west shores
private houses, sanctuaries and quiet
Private ranch houses, the Oserengoni sanctuary and Crater Lake, reached by slower roads and priced above the south shore.
Moi South Lake Road
resorts, camps and boat jetties
The main shore road from town past the big lodges, the two budget camps and most boat departures, towards Hell's Gate.
Hills above the north shore
golf and panoramic views
One resort base above the lake rather than on it, best with your own car for the drive down to boats and Hell's Gate.
Think twice about
- Naivasha town centre as a holiday base
A flower industry and highway town with practical business hotels. Sleep on the shore; use the town for supplies and lunch.
- Unlit lakeshore outside lodge and camp fences at night
Hippos graze the shore at night and are dangerous. Stay in lit areas, use escorts and paths, and never enter the water.
Best restaurants in Lake Naivasha
Ranch House Bistro
Clay oven pizzas, pepper steak and farm desserts on a lawn over Lake Oloidien, the lake's best lunch.
Sanctuary Farm
A farm table on a conservancy where zebra graze past the garden, with set lunches cooked to order.
Matteo's Italian Restaurant and Bar
A long running garden Italian on South Lake Road, pasta, pizza and grills from morning to late.
La Belle Inn
The 1926 town inn, a terrace and pub menu with grilled whole tilapia from the lake as the order.
Jikoniz Grill Nyama Choma
Nyama choma by the kilo with ugali and kachumbari, the town's loud, sociable grilled meat format.
Delamere Farm Shop
The famous highway farm shop stop for Delamere yoghurt, ice cream, pies and coffee on the drive.
Outdoor things to do in Lake Naivasha
Hell's Gate National Park
Cycle a park road under red cliffs past zebra, giraffe and buffalo, in a park with no lions or elephants.
Ol Njorowa Gorge
A guided scramble in a water worn sandstone gorge, only when KWS allows it and never when rain threatens.
Fischer's Tower
Kenya's best known beginner climbing tower, a volcanic plug climbed with local guides and their ropes.
Olkaria Geothermal Spa
Swim in cascading geothermal lagoons inside Hell's Gate, the big lagoon at bath temperature.
Mount Longonot National Park
A steep dawn climb to a volcano crater rim at 2,776 metres, with the whole lake spread out below.
Lake Elementaita
An alkaline World Heritage lake for flamingos and pelicans, with conservancy game on its western shore.
Best hotels in Lake Naivasha
Loldia House
The classic north shore house on a private ranch, with its own guides, boats, night drives and fires.
Chui Lodge
Eight cottages with fireplaces inside a private sanctuary, with a heated pool facing a waterhole.
Crater Lake Tented Camp & Game Sanctuary
A small romantic tented camp on the green crater lake, with rim walks and a floating restaurant.
Naivasha Kongoni Lodge
A quiet cottage lodge by Lake Oloidien for self drivers exploring the west shore and Hell's Gate.
Enashipai Resort & Spa
The full service resort near town, with a large spa, pools and gardens, busiest at Nairobi weekends.
Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort
A family resort on 150 acres where giraffe graze by day and hippos come onto the lawns at night.
Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge
A smaller, greener south shore lodge with garden rooms, a pool and zebra in the grounds.
Sawela Lodges
A reliable conference and events lodge on South Lake Road, the dependable option for big groups.
Is Lake Naivasha expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | KES 7,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | KES 25,000 a person |
| Splurge | KES 95,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Elsamere Conservation Centre: a few days ahead
- Oserengoni Wildlife Sanctuary: weeks ahead
- Fischer's Tower: a few days ahead
- Loldia House: weeks ahead
- Chui Lodge: weeks ahead
- Crater Lake Tented Camp & Game Sanctuary: a few days ahead
- Naivasha Kongoni Lodge: a few days ahead
- Enashipai Resort & Spa: a few days ahead
- Book beds weeks ahead for any Friday or Saturday night, public holiday weekend or festive date, and further ahead for Loldia House and Chui Lodge.
- Book Elsamere tea, a Fischer's Tower guide and Ranch House Bistro Sunday lunch ahead; boats and bicycles need no booking on weekdays.
Is Lake Naivasha safe?
- Hippos are the main risk: never walk the lakeshore or between a hippo and the water, never swim, and respect camp electric fences.
- Flash floods killed seven people in Ol Njorowa Gorge in 2012 and seven more in 2019. Check status at Elsa Gate on the day and go guided only.
- The lake has risen since about 2010 and flooded shore property, so confirm any shorefront property is fully operating before you pay.
- Malaria risk is lower at 1,884 metres than on the coast but not zero; use repellent from dusk and take a clinician's advice.
Lake Naivasha travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Boat quotes may be per boat, per person or excluding Crescent Island entry, so agree destination, duration and inclusions before boarding.
- A Sunday day trip from Nairobi compresses every activity into traffic; one night on the shore transforms the same plan.
- A guide willing to enter Ol Njorowa Gorge when rain threatens is a warning, not a service. Accept a closure.
Getting around Lake Naivasha: public transport and more
- Naivasha is about 90 km from Nairobi, 90 minutes in clear traffic and up to two and a half hours on a bad Friday.
- There is no visitor transport along Moi South Lake Road, so self drive, base at one lodge, or book a bundled Nairobi day tour.
- Governors' Aviation flies Wilson Airport to the Loldia airstrip in about 25 minutes for Loldia House guests.
Who Lake Naivasha suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Lake Naivasha your trip
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