Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island

Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake of 139 sqkm lying at an altitude of 1,884 metres, North West of Nairobi, outside the town of Naivasha. It is part of the Great Rift Valley and it has an average depth of 6 metres. The name derives from the local Maasai name Nai’posha, meaning “rough water“, because of the sudden storms which can arise.

The lake is home to a variety of wildlife such as hippos, waterbucks, zebras, giraffes, etc., and over 400 different species of bird have been reported.

Crescent Island Game Sanctuary is a peninsula on the eastern side of Lake Naivasha, which can be accessed by boat or by road. The feature of this sanctuary is the absence of any predators that would threaten a human and it is therefore possible to walk at your own pace, with a guide, among the wildlife and the birds to enjoy the peace and quiet broken only by the sounds of the Islands wild inhabitants.