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Imara Africa Safaris
Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate
Day Trips

Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate

Boat among hippos, walk with giraffes, then cycle through Hell's Gate gorge country

  • Full day (about 10–12 hours door to door)
  • Lake Naivasha · Crescent Island · Hell's Gate National Park
  • Confirmation within minutes
PricingOn request
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DurationFull day (about 10–12 hours door to door)
Starts fromAny Nairobi hotel or residence
Tour stylePrivate — you set the pace
Response timeMinutes — hours at busiest

Quick answer

This full-day trip from Nairobi combines a boat ride on Lake Naivasha among hippos and fish eagles, a guided walking safari on Crescent Island — where you stroll unfenced beside giraffe, zebra and wildebeest — and Hell's Gate National Park, one of the few parks in Kenya you can explore by bicycle, with its dramatic gorge and geothermal scenery. Pricing varies with group size and season, so request availability and a quote.

Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate — photo 2
Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate — photo 3
Sample day plan

How the day unfolds

Indicative timings — your exact schedule is confirmed in the written quote.

  1. 06:30

    Nairobi pickup — Rift Valley viewpoint stop en route

  2. 09:00

    Boat ride on Lake Naivasha among hippos and fish eagles

  3. 10:30

    Guided walking safari on Crescent Island

  4. 12:30

    Lakeside lunch

  5. 14:00

    Hell's Gate National Park — cycle or drive the gorge road

  6. 16:30

    Depart for Nairobi, drop-off by early evening

Highlights
  • Boat ride among hippos and water birds
  • Unfenced walking safari on Crescent Island
  • Cycle or drive through Hell's Gate National Park
  • Ol Njorowa gorge walk (conditions permitting)
What's included
  • Return road transfer from Nairobi
  • Private vehicle with professional driver-guide
  • Bottled water

What to bring

  • Trainers or walking shoes for Crescent Island
  • Sunscreen, hat and sunglasses
  • Small daypack with water
  • Swap of clothes if cycling Hell's Gate
FAQ

Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate — questions, answered

How much does the Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate cost?+

Pricing depends on group size, vehicle and season, so we confirm an exact written quote for your date. Priced per group size and season — request a quote and we confirm availability the same day. Availability on request — response and confirmation within minutes, or a few hours at busy times. T&Cs apply.

How long is the Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate and where does it start?+

Full day (about 10–12 hours door to door). The tour starts from any Nairobi hotel or residence.

What is included in the Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate?+

Return road transfer from Nairobi; Private vehicle with professional driver-guide; Bottled water. Final inclusions are itemised in your written quote before you pay anything.

What should I bring on the Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate?+

Trainers or walking shoes for Crescent Island; Sunscreen, hat and sunglasses; Small daypack with water; Swap of clothes if cycling Hell's Gate.

Verified Guest Reviews

What our travellers say

From 2 guests who travelled the Lake Naivasha Day Trip — Boat Ride, Crescent Island & Hell's Gate

5.0· 217 reviews
TripAdvisor5.0 Google5.0

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Safari Adventure of a Lifetime with Imara Africa Safaris From the very beginning, the booking and planning experience with Cate was absolutely exceptional. Over the course of eight months, she was incredibly helpful, attentive, and responsive to every question I had. She provided detailed information about packing, travel authorizations, vaccinations, and everything else I needed to feel fully prepared for my trip. During the planning process, I mentioned that this safari would take place around my birthday and casually asked if one of the lodges might be able to provide a dessert. What happened exceeded anything I could have imagined. Cate went completely above and beyond to make my birthday unforgettable. Every lodge I stayed at surprised me with something special, including birthday cakes, singing, dancing, roses, and even "Happy Birthday" beautifully spelled out on my bed. When I first arrived, Imara Africa Safaris surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine. It was such a thoughtful and touching gesture. This was not only a birthday I will never forget, but a safari experience I will cherish forever. I am truly blown away by the thought, care, and attention that went into planning every detail of this trip. Cate designed an incredible itinerary that included multiple destinations and a wide variety of activities, making every day exciting and unique. From game drives and boat rides to bicycling, hiking, and even a breathtaking hot air balloon ride, every experience added something special to the adventure. The safari itself was made even more amazing thanks to my guide and driver, Paul. As a solo traveler, safety was very important to me, and Paul made sure I felt comfortable and secure throughout the entire journey. He is an outstanding driver, an incredibly knowledgeable guide, and one of the kindest people I have ever met. Paul knew exactly where to go to maximize wildlife sightings and worked tirelessly to help me find all the animals I dreamed of seeing. Thanks to him, I saw the Big Five, along with many other incredible animals. One of the most exciting moments was watching a cheetah and a giraffe cross directly in front of our Land Cruiser. Another unforgettable experience was when Paul found a lioness napping and positioned us perfectly for an up-close view. It felt surreal, as though she was there just for me, with no other vehicles around despite it being a busy season. Paul's expertise, patience, and passion for wildlife made every game drive extraordinary. He is truly a world-class safari guide, and I can confidently say he is the best safari driver and guide I could have hoped for. If you are considering a safari in Kenya or Tanzania, I cannot recommend Imara Africa Safaris highly enough. If you're lucky enough to work with Cate for planning and Paul as your safari guide, you're in the very best hands. They turned my dream safari into a reality and created memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you, Cate, Paul, and the entire Imara Africa Safaris team, for making my birthday safari so incredibly special. This was truly the adventure of a lifetime! 🦁🎂🌍✨

Larissa Kimmer

Larissa Kimmer

August 2026

Eduard

Eduard/August 2026

We were initially picked up from our hotel and greeted with gifts (a beautiful animal art picture, safari water bottle, and safari hat) for each member of our family! The safari vehicle is very large and spacious, has WiFi and outlets for charging! The vehicle also comes with a mini fridge stocked with sodas and bottled water for the trip. Our tour guide, Simon, was very knowledgeable and drove as carefully as he could, and got us up close to most animals in the parks for clear pictures, and easily knew his way around the massive wilderness areas without any maps or GPS! The only downside I would say about this trip are that most of the roads in Kenya and out in the wilderness are not paved, so most of the drive is extremely bumpy, like worse than a rollercoaster, and caused some motion sickness, we were bouncing out of our seats many times, and getting into the vehicle is a bit challenging as the steps are extremely high up to the knees, so be careful if you have bad knees. The Zebra Lodge that they booked for us was very luxurious, and spacious, though the food was so-so and very limited, the bathrooms were very large and even had an outside shower, although the water temperature regulation and water pressure was terrible. The second hotel, Sarova Woodlands Hotel and Spa, Nakuru, was very nice, professional, great buffets, and a very nice clean 5 star hotel. The first two days doing the game drive in the national parks were great and exciting seeing all the wild animals, the third day going to the lake was honestly the most boring and uneventful as most animals were extremely far away and just saw some birds very far away, also I did not care much for going to the Masai Mara Village, and seeing their poor living conditions. The 4th day was great though, as we took a boat ride to see many birds up close and then did a walking safari tour and got sooo up close to zebras, antelopes, a hyena, and right up next to a sleeping giraffe! I strongly recommend going in August as it's the "migration season" and there are far more animals to see. The drivers also like to drop off tourists at rest stops with souvenir shops, just be careful cause the prices are extremely jacked up and the locals try to rip tourists off like crazy; if they say something is $25-30, in reality it's worth more like $5-10, do your research and haggle down! Overall I liked this tour company and the safari experience, and would definitely do it again someday if I ever went back!

ashwin zenev jerome

ashwin zenev jerome/November 2026

Our trip to Kenya was an unusual one in many ways. It was a family holiday, but with a twist — an all-men’s group, with ages ranging from 37 to 72! Managing a group with such a wide age range and different expectations was no small task. But choosing Imara Safari turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. Right from the beginning, we realised that Imara Safari is much more than just a travel company. Wendy and her team are genuinely some of the finest human beings you could meet. Their warmth, hospitality and willingness to accommodate every little request made us feel less like clients and more like family. There were a couple of situations during our trip that truly showed us what sets them apart. In one instance, we faced an unexpected situation that wasn’t even their responsibility. They could easily have stayed out of it, but instead, they went out of their way and put in the extra effort to help us sort it out. That spoke volumes about the kind of people they are. And then came my uncle’s birthday! I called Wendy and requested a cake to celebrate his birthday. Before I could even explain much, she surprised me by saying that they already knew about it because they had noticed his date of birth in his passport — and had actually planned a surprise for him from their end! Honestly, we were dumbstruck. That level of thoughtfulness and attention to detail is something you rarely come across. You can have the best systems, the best itinerary and the best facilities, but genuine hospitality comes from the heart. And when people do things with heart, it shows in every little detail. Throughout the trip, whether it was a big requirement or the smallest request, Wendy and her team were always there for us. A special mention to our guides and drivers, Patrick and Simon. What started as a professional arrangement quickly turned into a friendship. These two are absolute legends — incredibly cool, great company, and, more importantly, some of the best wildlife trackers and professionals you could ask for. Their knowledge, patience and ability to spot animals made our safari experience truly special. And no matter what we asked for, the response was almost always the same: “Hakuna Matata!” That phrase became the soundtrack of our trip! Wendy, Patrick and Simon — thank you so much for everything. You made this trip memorable not just because of the places we visited and the wildlife we witnessed, but because of the people you are. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for looking after us, going that extra mile and making us feel like family. Imara Safari is not just about organising a safari. It’s about creating experiences with heart. Highly recommended!

Ben Felgar

Ben Felgar/October 2026

This was a great tour. The accommodation were top-notch. Edward was very knowledgeable As a solo female traveler I felt safe.

Austin Oberlin

Austin Oberlin/October 2026

Imara was very responsive and helpful in picking a Safari experience. They picked us up at our hotel in Nairobi. We had an excellent driver who guided us around Amboseli National Park for 3 days!

Aasma Aslam

Aasma Aslam/October 2026

The whole experience was excellent. From the point of view enquiry right up until the drop off to the airport I can’t fault the service. Any queries we had were answered straight away with detail. The safari itself with the Imara Africa Safaris team was amazing- everything they promised at the beginning was delivered- by far the best holiday we have had made better because of Imara Africa Safaris. Finally our driver Jessie was brilliant. He was knowledgeable and very accommodating. We will definitely be returning in the near future and recommend Imara Africa Safaris to everyone.

T

T/October 2026

Very good experience. Everything was planned very well from Lincoln and realized by a great driver/guide Simon.

Vineeth Balachandran

Vineeth Balachandran/October 2026

Finished our 5 day tour with Imara. What an amazing experience they gave us! Kate in the office was brilliant and helped us all the way through the planning of the trip. Tour started off with our guide Peter who drove around crazy, trying his best to show as many animals in Amboseli. Back drop of Kilimanjaro was a visual treat! We then went to Masai Mara. Simon, our guide was very knowledgable and committed to showing the big five, which he succeeded. We saw all the big five, some of them several times! Thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kenya and will highly recommend Imara tours. Word of caution-If you are visiting Masai village, you may get exploited. Just take care.

Hassan aljaber

Hassan aljaber/October 2026

What an amazing experience. From the booking, to the airport, flexibility, activities, and most importantly our excellent guide Symon. Eunice was amazing with flexibility and booking, she was able to provide me with my exact needs and wants for the whole trip. We were able to experience all we wanted, and so much more. We spent 7 days in Kenya, one night in lake Naivasha, 2 nights in Amboseli, and finally 3 nights in Maasai Mara. We got to experience all the classic safari experiences, and so so so much more. Our guide Symon was spectacular, and was able to get us views of everything. With Symon, we were able to see the big 5, cheetas, and all the animals on our bucket list, and a lot of other unique sightings, such as a cheetah hunt, lions cubs feeding, and the rare twin baby elephants. We started our trip with a boat safari, crescent island, and a horse riding safari. We also had a quad bike safari in hells gate. Then in Amboseli and Maasai Mara, we got to see so many animals thanks to Symon.

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