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Naivasha’s rustic and wild charm has defied many things; the vagaries of time, the Maasai who called the place Naiposha and led their cattle through the thorn trees in search of pasture, colonial settlers, hoteliers, fishermen, peace negotiators, ranchers, confidence in motion, and even checked shorts. Everyone and everything that comes to or passes through this place either has to learn to embrace, acknowledge or go around it. But, like a mother’s love, the charm is always there.

This isn’t Naivasha’s only quality though. It has many others. Qualities that have attracted people looking to escape, for fun, pleasure, adventure, excitement, that elusive buck, and even quiet. This has made it a cosmopolitan place that straddles the rural and urban, large and small scale farming, and the residential and touristic.

Now, into all these, they are introducing something that, in hindsight, seems quite obvious – a festival. Like anything good that is starting on top of a platform, the festival is plugging into every facet of the Naivasha life. The Naivasha Love Festival is centered on celebrating the diversity of love for 4 days (13th to 16th February, 2020) in Naivasha. February will be dubbed the month of love in Naivasha.

The team behind it consists of hoteliers, government, and other local businesses, and they want people to think of Naivasha every time they think of love, especially in the second month of every year. They seem to be having something for everyone. Read on to find your pleasure, or sins at this inaugural edition of the three day festival.

Outdoors

Is it even a Naivasha festival if it does not include elements of the outdoors? The festival covers this with hikes up a mountain, and through a forest, bike and boat rides, and competitions..

Day Two, 14th February

  • Morning hike on Mt. Longonot. Access will be free.

Day Three, 15th February

  • Hiking Mau Eburu Forest – access will be free. The forest includes the volcanic Mt. Eburu and is part of the Mau Forest water catchment area. It has six hiking trails which, among other things, provide scenic views of both Lakes Elementaita and Naivasha.
  • Cycling Race starting from Hell’s Gate National Park
  • Boating Competition at the Lake Side.

Other outdoor activities you can do while in Naivasha even independent of the festival include a boat ride in Lake Naivasha and riding bikes in Hell’s Gate National Park.

Musical Performances

Naivasha Love Festival will be hosting Koroga Festival for their first out of town edition aptly titled the Naivasha Love edition. The Koroga Festival will be the main provider of musical performances during the event.

Day One, 13th February.

The festival will kick off with a Stakeholders’ Sustainability Conference whose agenda include coming up with a plan to support the County government of Nakuru’s green city efforts. “A Global Village at Hells Gate where exhibitors from various sectors ranging from Hospitality, Floriculture, Cultural and Trade will be showcasing their products. ”

Day Two, 14th February

This will be Day One for the Koroga Festival. It will feature performances from Nadia, rapper Khaligraph Jones, and Ochunglo Family.

Day Three, 15th February

This will be Day Two for the Koroga Festival. It will feature performances from Mike Rua, H_art the Band, and Diamond Platnumz.

Other activities during the festival include cultural performances from various Kenyan tribes and a blood donation drive on the first day of the festival. You can also visit Kamere Landing Beach for a serving of fresh Lake Naivasha fish, go dancing at Waves club in Enashipai Resort.

Wildlife

Crescent Island: a peninsula that can be accessed by road through Moi South Lake Road, or Lake Naivasha. It has more animals per acre than any other Kenyan park. Several animals were brought to the island during the filming of Out of Africa. It is home to, among other animals, a number of giraffes. It does not have carnivores, making it ideal for a walking safari.

Hell’s Gate National Park: Kenya’s only activity based park. You can ride a bike, hike, camp and climb the park massive rocks and cliffs. You also can see a number of animals including warthogs, buffalos, zebras, hartebeest, and gazelles. Baboons welcome you right at the gate. If you’re lucky, you can spot lions, leopards, and cheetahs. The park is also home to more than 100 bird species and hosts Kenya’s only nationally protected nesting colony of the Endangered Ruppell’s Vulture.

Mau Eburu Forest: this is home to 10% of the entire global population of the critically endangered Bongo.

Lake Naivasha: home to hippos and over 400 species of birds.

Turnup Travel has teamed up with Sawela Lodges, Panoramic Park and Lodge, and Enashipai Resort to make your experience during the festival fun and comfortable.

Ticket details

Naivasha Love festival – Tickets naivashalovefestival.com