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Mt Longonot

Mt Longonot is a seriously spectacular crater mountain
standing alone in the Rift Valley. Founded in 1983, Longonot Park covers an area of 52sq km which is predominately mountain,
It is located 75km northwest of Nairobi, just south of Naivasha town. Rising over 1000m above the valley floor, the summit reaches an elevation of 2776m.

Mt Longonot is a young mountain because Volcanic activity only began here around 400 000 years ago. It has been dormant since 1863. Made up of soft volcanic rock that has been eroded forming deep clefts and valleys, and Pumice is still found on the mountain in large quantities.

The rim of the crater is 2km wide and its name refers to the deep eroded gorges that radiate from the crater rim. Easily accessible from Nairobi this can be done as a day trip to acclimatise before attempting Mt Kenya or Mt Kilimanjaro.