From
$1,477
Luxury Lodge · Lake Naivasha, Great Rift Valley, Kenya
Naivasha Country Club
A colonial-era lakeside club set in mature gardens above Lake Naivasha, the Great Rift Valley's most atmospheric mid-circuit pause
Lake Naivasha sits at 1,884 metres above sea level in the floor of the Great Rift Valley — a freshwater lake in a landscape of volcanic geology, acacia woodland and an extraordinary density of birdlife that has made it one of Kenya’s most important ornithological sites and one of its most quietly captivating destinations. The Naivasha Country Club occupies a privileged stretch of the southern shoreline: mature gardens established across nearly a century, a lawn that ends at the papyrus edge, and the kind of colonial-era bones that only reveal themselves gradually — in the proportion of the main building, the age of the trees, the unhurried confidence of a property that has never needed to announce itself.
The Club was established in the 1930s, when Naivasha was a staging point on the flying boat route between Britain and South Africa and the Great Rift Valley was the address of choice for Kenya’s farming aristocracy. The membership list of that era reads like a footnote to the Happy Valley set — Naivasha was always the more productive, less dissolute cousin — and the property absorbed the social energy of a town that understood what it had. Serena Hotels, which now manages the Club, has maintained the heritage fabric while updating its practicality: the rooms are comfortable, the gardens are impeccably kept and the lakeside position is as good as it has ever been.
For the safari itinerary, Naivasha Country Club solves a specific and often underestimated logistical problem. The drive from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara is five to six hours without a pause; with a Naivasha overnight inserted, the Nairobi arrival becomes a first night with a lake view and the Mara leg becomes a rested, two-hour drive rather than an endurance exercise. In the other direction — returning from the Mara or from Amboseli, with a late afternoon flight the following day — Naivasha gives the itinerary one more day of activity in a genuinely spectacular setting rather than a dead final night in the city. It earns its place in the circuit on practical grounds alone. The fact that it is also beautiful is the dividend.
Serena-managed on Lake Naivasha's southern shore since the 1930s. Hippos, 400+ bird species, a walking island with giraffe and zebra. Hell's Gate, Crescent Island and Mount Longonot on the doorstep. Gardens nearly a century in the making.
Why Stay Here
- 1. In continuous operation since the 1930s, one of the Rift Valley's most historically rooted addresses
- Gardens nearly a century in the making, running to the shoreline, hippos visible at dusk
- 400+ bird species, fish eagles, pelicans, kingfishers, jacanas and migrants year-round
- Crescent Island,walking safari with giraffe, zebra and waterbuck; by boat from camp
- Hell's Gate ,cycling and walking in the park; gorge, geothermal activity, resident predators
- Mount Longonot, crater rim walk with the finest panoramic view in Kenya
- 90 minutes from Nairobi, 2 hours from the Mara, the logical mid-circuit overnight
- Dawn boat safaris for hippos, birdlife and Rift Valley light
- Serena Hotels management, consistent quality throughout
- Naivasha's flower farms,Africa's largest rose-growing region, visible on the approach
Our Commitment to Conservation
Lake Naivasha faces documented pressure from commercial horticulture — measurable effects on water levels and quality. The Club buffers the lake edge, manages boat operations to minimise wildlife disturbance, and supports Crescent Island's operation as a predator-free sanctuary. Serena Hotels' sustainability standards apply throughout.
Rooms & Accommodation
The 52 rooms and suites at Naivasha Country Club are arranged in cottage-style units distributed through the lakeside gardens — a layout that maintains privacy between guests while embedding the accommodation within the property’s most defining asset. Rooms are finished in a manner that respects the colonial character of the main building without pastiche: warm textiles, solid timber furniture, en-suite bathrooms and private verandahs that face either the gardens or the lake. Superior rooms and suites step up in floor area and lake orientation; the best units in the property are the lakefront rooms whose verandahs deliver a direct sightline across the water to the papyrus beds on the far shore. WiFi is available throughout. The garden layout means that hippos, which graze the lawns after dark, are an occasional and always surprising presence outside the room window.
Standard Cottage Room
Garden-set cottage rooms with private verandah, en-suite bathroom and warm timber interiors. The surroundings do most of the work — a hippo on the lawn at dusk is not a function of the room rate.
King or twin beds · Private verandah · En-suite bathroom · WiFi · Daily housekeeping · Tea & coffee facilities · Ceiling fan / heating
Executive Suites
Executive Suite is a stylish one-bedroom suite with king king-sized bed decorated in neutral tones. Additional amenities of the suite make it a perfect home away from home.
King bed · Lake-facing verandah · Separate sitting area · En-suite bathroom · WiFi · Daily housekeeping · Tea & coffee facilities
Presidential Cottage
Presidential Cottage comes with king-size, twin beds and 2 bedrooms. Fit for royalty, every inch of this vast 2-bedroom cottage has been designed with your utmost comfort in mind.
Minibar, radio, safe, private bathroom, hairdryer and shower.
Experiences & Activities
Every moment at Naivasha Country Club is crafted to immerse you deeper in the wild.
Crescent Island Walking Safari
A short boat crossing from camp to a private sanctuary where giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and waterbuck roam without predators — one of the rare East African environments where guests walk freely among large mammals. One of the most quietly astonishing experiences on the Kenya circuit.
Lake Naivasha Boat Safari
Dawn on the lake is one of the Rift Valley's finest birding windows — fish eagles, jacanas, pelicans, cormorants. A 90-minute to two-hour guided circuit covers hippo pods in the shallows and secretive waders in the reed beds.
Ready to plan your stay?
Our specialists are available 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Dining
The Club’s dining room occupies the colonial main building — high ceilings, generous windows facing the garden, and a menu that combines Kenyan cooking with international staples suited to a mixed international and local dining room. Breakfast is the centrepiece meal of the day, served with the lake light coming through the garden trees and timed to allow guests to reach Crescent Island or Hell’s Gate before the midday heat. Lunches after a morning on the water or in the gorge are a straightforward and welcome affair. Dinners are more formal in atmosphere than in requirement — the room has the unhurried quality of a club dining room that has been hosting guests for nearly a century. The lakeside terrace functions as a pre-dinner drinks and sundowner setting, and on calm evenings — when the water is flat and the hippos are beginning to move — it is one of the more atmospheric terraces in the Rift Valley.
Gallery
Best Time to Visit
Lake Naivasha is a year-round destination. The property’s combination of lake activities, national park access and mid-circuit positioning means that no month presents a compelling reason to avoid it, and several present particularly good reasons to choose it.
The dry seasons — January to March and July to October — bring the clearest Rift Valley skies, the most reliable road conditions and the easiest access to Hell’s Gate and Mount Longonot. The lake’s birdlife is exceptional year-round, with the addition of Palearctic migrant species between November and April, when the resident population is supplemented by species travelling south from Europe and Asia. April and May bring the long rains — dramatic Rift Valley storms and a greening of the landscape — but the lake activities remain accessible and the property is at its least crowded.
For guests using Naivasha as a mid-circuit overnight on the way to or from the Mara, the timing is governed by the broader Kenya itinerary rather than any Naivasha-specific season. For those combining Naivasha with a longer stay — two or three nights to absorb Crescent Island, Hell’s Gate and Longonot properly — January, February and the June–October dry window offer the best conditions.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Location & Getting Here
Destination
Lake Naivasha, Great Rift Valley, Kenya
Conservation Area
Lake Naivasha · Hell's Gate National Park · Crescent Island Game Sanctuary
Nearest Airstrip
Naivasha Airstrip (~15 min drive)
Transfer Time
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes by road from Nairobi via the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway; 15 minutes from Naivasha Airstrip
Getting Here
90km from Nairobi — 90 minutes via the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway. Naivasha Airstrip 15 minutes by road. Hell's Gate 15 minutes; Crescent Island a short boat crossing; Mount Longonot 30 minutes south. Pairs naturally with the Mara, Aberdares, Nakuru and Samburu.
Safaris That Include This Lodge
Explore handcrafted itineraries where Naivasha Country Club forms part of the journey.
