Mount Longonot is a stratovolcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya about 90 kilometres northwest of Nairobi. The mountain rises to 2,776m above sea level. It is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s. Mount Longonot contains a large 8 x 12 km caldera formed by vast eruptions of trachytic lava some 21,000 years ago. The current summit cone was developed within the earlier caldera. This cone itself is capped by a 1.8 km crater. Satellite cones and effusive lava eruptions occur on the flanks and within the caldera floor. Periodic geodetic activity recorded at Longonot in 2004–2006 demonstrated the presence of active magmatic systems beneath this volcano. On the sides of the mountain are V-shaped valleys and ridges with little vegetation; however a thick forest occurs within the crater.
Its name is derived from the Maasai word oloonong’ot, meaning “mountains of many spurs” or “steep ridges”. A nearby town is also named Longonot. The Longonot satellite earth station is located south of the mountain.
Wildlife
Major wildlife attractions include buffaloes, elands, Impala, lion, leopard, Bushbucks, common zebra, giraffe, grant gazelles, Thomson gazelles and many other antelopes. Leopards have also been reported but are extremely difficult to spot.
Mount Longonot is protected by Kenya Wildlife Service as part of Mount Longonot National Park. Longonot park covers 52 km2 most of it being occupied by Mt. Longonot