Suswa is a shield volcano in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. It is located between Narok and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
Suswa has a unique double crater with a moat-like inner crater surrounding a tilted block of rock. The mountain is also known for its lava tube caves on the northeast side of the outer crater.
It is possible to drive up the lesser-end of the mountain into the outer crater with a four-wheel-drive vehicle; however there are numerous barricades across the trail where local Maasai try to collect a fee for allowing you through. Arrangements can be made to pay a set fee and get a guide to take you past the barricades. The inner crater is home to a variety of snakes species. Other wildlife of interest found on or near Mt. Suswa includes zebras, giraffes, mongooses, turtles, hyenas and leopards.
It is also possible to climb the mountain, which owns a 2,356-meter summit. There are no specified paths, but Suswa is best accessed from the mountain from the north and northeast. The Suswa Primary school, located at the base of the mountain, is another practical starting point. Also, there are many Maasai homesteads surrounding the base of the mountain; it is recommended to introduce yourself to the head of the family if your route crosses such. With the exception of Rauch's Trail, there are no designated pathways to the summit. However, the Maasai do graze cattle on the mountain's grasslands, making for the occasional route. The peak can be reached on foot by following Rauch's Trail, which begins approximately one-and-a-half kilometers from the summit, from the northeast. Rauch's Trail is marked with a wooden sign, overlooking the crater.
Summary
Distance from Nairobi About 120km
Starting Point Road head at crater viewpoint
Ending point Road head at crater viewpoint
Walking Duration 4 hours to summit and back,
7hrs round the rim
Terrain Dirt trail with rocky sections
Difficulty Easy to Moderate
Mt Suswa has a low-lying unassuming profile, belying the spectacular views you encounter up close. Most visitors to this part of the Great Rift Valley are drawn to the outwardly more prominent Mt Longonot, bypassing this magnificent volcano that is larger and endowed with some of the most unlikely and amazing formations occurring in nature. Its proximity to Nairobi also make it an ideal day hike destination.
Suswa Crater
Mt Suswa is a double crater volcano with a shield-shaped cone covering an area of about 270km2. Its inner volcano, called Ol Doinyo Nyokie by the local Maasai, rises to an altitude of 2356m above sea level at its summit. The inner crater, about 5km across, is covered by a forest that is also home to leopards, hyenas, buffaloes, antelopes and other wildlife. By a twist of nature, this inner collapse formed a moat-like trench surrounding a central island in the crater, creating a breath-taking view that has to be seen to be believed.
The outer crater, estimated at about 10km in diameter, is currently dotted with Maasai homesteads. The Maasai graze their livestock on the outer crater and the slopes of the inner volcano, and harvest water for their domestic use from the numerous springs spouting steam and hot water in this area.
Suswa CavesPerhaps the best known attractions on Mt Suswa are the lava caves on the outer crater. There are over 30 entrances, most of which are collapsed roofs into these caves. Fig trees and other types of vegetation mark the location of some of these openings, but it would be best to get a local guide to show you around the caves. A torch or headlamp is also vital when exploring these caves.
The Suswa caves are home to large populations of bats that are said to travel as far as 30km in search of food at night, and then retreat to the caves in the morning. As you walk and crawl through the caves, you can view the colonies of bats hanging from the roof, asleep and dead to the world, until evening when they stream out.
One interesting location in the caves is the Baboons’ parliament where a large troop of Baboons take shelter at night from their predators. The Baboon troops’ arrival in the evening coincides with the departure of the local bat colonies, creating two way traffic. It is said that if you peer down the opening in the roof early in the morning, you will find the troop’s leader perched on a pile of rocks at the centre of the chamber, seemingly addressing the rest of the troop perched on ledges high up the walls of the cave.
Another interesting feature in the caves is a rock painting in one of the chambers, attributed to the local Maasai morans, who apparently sleep there during one of their initiation rituals.
Hiking
Most hikers on Mt Suswa park their vehicles at a road head on the edge of the inner crater, and hit the trail going up a gradual slope towards the summit on the edge of the crater. It takes about 1hr to get to the first summit, and another 1hr to get to the higher second summit. The 10km return trip to the summit therefore takes about 4hrs.
For those going right round the inner crater, the trail is 22km long and takes about 7 hours or longer depending on your pace, with an elevation gain of 1380m. Along the way, you encounter rock hyraxes darting between boulders, and small antelopes grazing peacefully on the slopes.
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