Visiting Crescent Island In Lake Naivasha
Remember, all our itineraries are totally flexible and can be changed to suit you.
About Crescent Island Game Sanctuary
“Walk Amongst Nature”
Crescent Island Game Sanctuary is a wildlife-rich headland located in Lake Naivasha, Kenya, about 80 km from Nairobi. The Island has several walking trails and stunning views of Mt. Longonot, The Aberdares and the Mau Escarpment. Created thousands of years ago, by volcanic activity & tectonic movement, the island is ideal for hiking, game viewing and bird watching. Crescent Island is the best place to enjoy being at one with nature. “Crescent Island welcomes you into a world where nature walks beside you.”
Walking Safaris
Crescent Island Landscape & Scenery
Crescent Island Sanctuary is a small paradise in the middle of Lake Naivasha. The Island is situated on the Eastern side of Lake Naivasha and forms part of the rim of an extinct volcano protruding out of the lake. With panoramic views from the top of the hill to open plains and thickets of trees by the shores, this island truly is nature at her best. The island has oscillated between being an island and a peninsula over the years, depending on the lake levels.
On Lake Naivasha, land and water meet in a way that makes the area especially interesting on foot. Open grassland, acacia trees and lake-edge vegetation sit close together, allowing guests to walk with a guide and see wildlife moving between grassland, shoreline and shade.
Best Things To Do In Crescent Island
1. Guided Walking Safari at Crescent Island
Discover the beauty of nature on our walking safaris at Crescent Island Sanctuary. Immerse yourself in the wild and create unforgettable memories of Lake Naivasha. We can arrange a walk and picnic lunch on the picturesque Crescent Island on Lake Naivasha.
Walk with giraffes, zebras, impalas and many interesting water birds.
2. Birdwatching at Crescent Island
Crescent Island Sanctuary has an abundance of flora and fauna. Whether an avid animal, bird or plant lover or just an interested traveller you will find something to excite you. There are over 135 recorded species of birds in Crescent Island alone (both in land and water).
3. Boat Ride at Lake Naivasha
The Lake Naivasha boat ride: getting there is the first part of the expedition. The journey to Crescent Island starts on Lake Naivasha. From the boat, guests see the shoreline, with papyrus, reeds, waterbirds, and hippos close to the route.
The Animals & Wildlife In Crescent Island
Naivasha’s Crescent Island has over 1,600 head of game and 200 species of birds recorded, not forgetting the reptiles, plants and insects. A true haven for some of the wildlife of Naivasha. Strolling through the herds of antelopes, listening to the haunting call of the fish eagles or just sitting and watching the cheeky monkeys, whatever you decide, there’s something for everyone.
And if you book our accommodation, there’s another world of nocturnal animals to be seen. Hippos munching away, bushbabies leaping from tree to tree & genet cats and bat eared foxes foraging for food.
Lake Naivasha Boat Trips
The Wildlife To See In Crescent Island
The list of animals you are most likely to see at Lake Naivasha Crescent Island Include:
Masai Giraffe, Defassa Waterbuck, Thompson’s Gazelle, Kirk’s Dik Dik, Spring Hare, Spotted Hyena, Ostrich, Hippopotamus, Wildebeest, Grant’s Gazelle, Bushbuck, Vervet Monkey, Silver Backed Jackal, Leopard Tortoise, Impala, Burchell’s Zebra, Bat Eared Fox, White-tailed Mongoose, Cape Buffalo, African Rock Python, and Coypu among others.
The Birdlife & Birds In Crescent Island
Crescent Island is an active bird watcher’s paradise with over 135 species of birds recorded in January 2026 alone.
Apalis – Yellow Breasted Hoopoe – African Sparrow – House Babbler – Black lored Green wood Rufous Northern pied Ibis – Sacred Spurfowl – Hildebrants Batis – Chinspot Hadada Starlings – Ruppells Bee-eater – White fronted Glossy Ruppells starling Bulbul – Common Kingfisher – Giant Wattled Boubou – Tropical Malachite Superb Camaroptera – Green backed Pygmy Sunbird – Variable Canary – Brimstone Lapwings – Long toed Red chested Cisticola – Rattling Blacksmith Amethyst Cormorant – Great Spur winged Bronze Long-tailed Crowned Swallow – White tailed Crombec – Red faced Lark – Rufous-naped Barn Coucal – White browed Lovebirds – Fischers Swift – Little Cuckoo – Great spotted Martin – House African palm Red chested cuckoo Plain Teal – Blue billed Dideric cuckoo Mousebird – Speckled Tern – Gull-billed Klass’s cuckoo Ostrich – Common Whiskered Dove – Red eyed Oxpecker – Red-billed Tit – White bellied Ring necked dove Red billed oxpecker Wagtail – African pied Laughing dove Pelican – Great white Western yellow Tambourine dove Pigeon – Speckled Warbler – Willow Drongo – Fork tailed Pipit – African Buff bellied Duck – African black Plovers – Common ringed Gray capped Yellow billed duck Common ringed plover Water birds – Black crake Egret – Cattle Little ringed Eurasian moorhen Yellow billed egret Kittlitz’s Little grebe Ruff Firefinch – Red billed Quail – Harlequin African spoonbill Red billed firefinch Raptor – Osprey Red knobbed coot Fiscal – Gray backed African fish eagle African skimmer Flamingo – Lesser African harrier hawk Common snipe Flycatcher – Paradise Black winged kite Water thicknee Gray Yellow billed kite Black winged stilt Go away bird – White bellied Eurasian kestrel Little stint Goose – Egyptian Robin chat – Cape African jakana Grenadier – Purple White browed Black tailed godwit Guinea fowl – Helmeted Roller – Lilac breasted Weaver – Spekes Gull – Gray hooded Sandpiper – Common White browed sparrow weaver Hamerkop Common sandpiper Lesser masked Heron – Black Wood Baglafecht Black crowned night Marsh Wheatear – Northern Black headed Green Woodpecker – Nubian Grey Curlew Mountain gray Striated Seedeater – Streaky Cardinal Squacco Shrike – Red backed Wryneck – Red throated Purple Red tailed Isabelline
Photographic Safari Experience
The Best Time To Visit Crescent Island
Based on our years of experience, the best time to visit Crescent Island is usually early mornings or later afternoon hours, when temperatures are more comfortable for walking, and the light is easier on the lake. Animals may also be more active at these times, especially before the heat builds or as the day begins to cool. Midday visits can still work well, particularly if the walk is planned with a picnic, but guests should be prepared for stronger sun. A hat, sunscreen and enough water are important, as there is limited shade across parts of the open grassland. As for safari photography, early or late light is usually more useful than harsh midday sun. It provides a clearer definition of the landscape and reduces glare from the water, especially when looking across the lake.
Crescent Island Conservation Efforts
Thanks to donations from travellers who continue to visit the Sanctuary, the funds help to continue protecting the Island for future generations. Crescent Island is one of the few places in Naivasha where the fauna and flora has been protected for over 40 years. This has been achieved by anti-poaching patrols, de-snaring, tree planting, animal feeding and monitoring, education, grass seeding, and weekly rubbish collections. All of which costs time and money.
Best Kenya Safari Packages
Find a trip to Kenya. Browse our recommended Kenya tour packages or simply get in touch with one of our Africa safari experts to help custom-make your Kenya safari itinerary that matches your travel wishes; from exciting wildlife encounters to out-of-this-world white sand beach holiday tours, it’s a journey designed to immerse you in the extraordinary.
9 Days | 8 Nights
Top Kenya Air Safaris
Tours & Tickets To Crescent Island
Crescent Island suits guests who want to include a gentle active safari experience in their Lake Naivasha stay. The walk is guided, manageable and closely tied to the lake setting, with time for wildlife, birdlife and open views across the island. Time on the lake leads naturally into time on foot, giving guests a closer view of the wildlife and shoreline before returning to their safari lodge.
Book African Safari Packages
Does African safari tours feature on your bucket list? It should! Africa has so much to offer, from spectacular scenery, friendly people and cultural treasures to blissful beaches. Vulture African Safaris is an African safari expert who for years have been crafting and delivering personalised, Africa-based safaris, shaped by their first-hand knowledge and deep local connections. They have invaluable expertise about every safari destination, every lodge, every experience, and use their first-hand experience to create personalised itineraries for over 1,000 guests annually. But above all else, it is the wildlife and safari lifestyle that will draw you back, again and again. Once you go on your first Kenya safari tours, Africa gets into your blood.