Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort
Resort
The Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort is an award-winning luxury destination set high on the Eburru Range in Naivasha, Kenya. Perched at approximately 7,000 feet above sea level, the resort commands sweeping 360-degree views of Lake Naivasha, Mount Longonot, and the Aberdare Mountains. Recognized as one of Kenya’s premier golf and leisure resorts, it combines championship golf, wildlife encounters, and high-altitude Rift Valley scenery in one expansive property.
The resort is internationally renowned for its 18-hole championship golf course, which has earned multiple accolades as “Kenya’s Best Golf Hotel.” The course spans 6,182 yards and features tree-lined fairways, five water features, and contoured greens built to USGA specifications. Its signature 17th hole, a challenging par 5 measuring 598 meters (654 yards), is among the longest in Kenya. Unique to this course is its open wildlife integration—golfers frequently share the fairways with zebras, gazelles, and a variety of bird species such as Egyptian Geese and Black-headed Orioles. Facilities include a driving range, putting and chipping greens, a pro shop, and professional golf instructors. Green fees are competitively structured for both in-house guests and visiting players.
Accommodation at the resort includes approximately 266 rooms and residences, all designed to maximize panoramic valley or mountain views. Lodge Rooms feature handcrafted wooden furniture and modern en-suite bathrooms with private balconies. Longonot Villas offer split-level layouts with kitchens, dining areas, and sunken living rooms with fireplaces—ideal for families. Private chalets ranging from two to four bedrooms are located along the fairways, providing seclusion for extended stays or group travel. Signature residences such as Francolin Cottage offer luxury villa-style living within the secure estate.
Dining options include three distinct restaurants: Gemini, known for its casual cabin-style setting; Sagitta, which overlooks the 18th hole; and Cepheus, offering breakfast with garden and valley views. Recreational amenities include two clay tennis courts, a panoramic freeform swimming pool with a children’s section, and a health spa. Families are catered to through the Adventurers’ Club, which organizes child-friendly activities such as guided nature walks and treasure hunts. Guests can also arrange boat rides on Lake Naivasha, guided walks in Eburru Forest, and day trips to Hell’s Gate National Park, located approximately 20 minutes away.
Beyond its hospitality offerings, the resort is a significant ecological and geological landmark. Built on the slopes of a dormant volcano within the Eburru Range—known in Maasai as Ol Donyo Opurru (“Mountain of Smoke”)—the area forms part of an active geothermal system with natural steam vents rising from the forest floor. The surrounding region holds prehistoric importance, with nearby Kariandusi yielding stone-age tools crafted from volcanic obsidian believed to originate from Eburru. The slopes were also among the first settled by colonial farmers in the early 1900s, with remnants of old steam-powered pyrethrum drying mills still found nearby.
The resort operates as an open wildlife corridor, allowing animals to roam freely across the golf course and surrounding grounds. Resident species include zebras, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, impalas, and other antelopes, with occasional sightings of hyenas and leopards moving through established game corridors linked to Hell’s Gate National Park. Birdlife is exceptional, with over 100 recorded species on-site and additional raptors nesting in nearby cliffs and forests.
Committed to sustainability, the resort has received international recognition for environmental protection, including a Nature Protection award from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. It maintains a Silver Eco-rating and conducts regular environmental audits in line with national conservation standards. Reforestation initiatives support the restoration of Eburru Forest through indigenous tree planting programs, while an on-site resource centre educates guests and staff on local ecology and Kenyan heritage.
Located off Moi North Lake Road, approximately 90 minutes from Nairobi and 12 km off the main highway, the resort also features its own all-weather airstrip, enabling 30-minute flights from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport.
For travelers seeking a luxury golf resort in Naivasha, a wildlife-rich retreat in the Great Rift Valley, or a high-altitude destination with panoramic lake and mountain views, the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort offers a rare blend of championship sport, conservation, and scenic grandeur.
