15 Cruises & Boat Tours in Kenya Worth the Long Drive

Day Trip: Hell's Gate Bike Ride & Lake Naivasha Boat Ride - Lake Naivasha, hippos, and a moving bird guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 251 reviews · 9 - 10 hours · from $34Our pick

Review of a Nairobi day trip to Lake Naivasha and Hell’s Gate, with boat safari, cycling, gorge walks, costs, timing, and practical tips.

“The day began with a drive from Nairobi to Hell's Gate that took about two hours. We stopped off for a morning coffee at an unassuming petrol station and I had one of the best coffees ever! When we arrived at the park I tested out two mountain bikes for size etc. I thoroughly the dramatic scenery that met us as we started our journey from the gate entrance to the Gorge and back. My guide Rosey was very knowledgeable and kept me engaged, safe, and ensured I left with a few choice memories of my trip through the park and Gorge. After lunch we headed to Lake Naivasha and…”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Lunch Experiences, Mombasa Tours, Private, Tour Reviews, Wasini Island Dhow Trips

Mombasa: Kisite Park Private Cruise with Breakfast and Lunch

2.Kisite Park Private Cruise with Breakfast and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 181 reviews · 8 hours · from $163

Review of Mombasa’s private Kisite cruise, with dolphins, snorkeling, Swahili food, Wasini Island, hotel transfers, and practical tips.

“The strongest aspects of the trip were our guides and the organisation. They went out of their way to ensure everything met our expectations. Even the discussions about modern Africa were profound and inspiring. Despite initial weather problems (it was raining), we reached a dolphin spot and observed one individual (apparently there were six the day before). Swimming with it was out of the question – it was too fast :). During the snorkelling, we saw lots of coral, fish, and one spiny lobster (I think it ran away quickly). I recommend bringing fins; you'll tire out more quickly without them. Then, we sailed to the island for lunch, past…”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Hells Gate National Park Tours, Lake Naivasha Trips, Nairobi Tours, National Parks, Tour Reviews, Tours

Day tour to Hell’s Gate National park and optional Boat ride on lake Naivasha

3.Day tour to Hell’s Gate National park and optional Boat ride on lake Naivasha

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 161 reviews · from $125Top rated

Cycle through Hell’s Gate, see wildlife, and add a Lake Naivasha boat ride on this practical private day trip from Nairobi.

“Stephen and the entire crew was amazing. The park and experience exceeded our expectations. Pick up and drop off was on time. We felt completely comfortable and safe.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Full-Day, Lake Naivasha Trips, Lake Nakuru Safaris, Nairobi Tours, Tour Reviews

Full Day Lake Nakuru Park and optional boat ride on Lake Naivasha

4.Full Day Lake Nakuru Park and optional boat ride on Lake Naivasha

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 95 reviews · from $202

Review of a private Nairobi day trip to Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha, with rhinos, flamingos, birding, hippos, and an optional boat ride.

“it was an excellent experience in our lifetime. The guide was too good and he showed us everything, he was a truly knowledgeable person and knew lot of about the park and also boating was amazing.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Hells Gate National Park Tours, Lake Naivasha Trips, Nairobi Tours, National Parks, Tour Reviews, Tours

Small Group Budget Tour to Hells Gate National Park and Lake Naivasha Boat Ride

5.Small Group Budget Tour to Hells Gate National Park and Lake Naivasha Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 85 reviews · from $57

Cycle through Hell’s Gate, walk its gorges, and add a Lake Naivasha boat ride on this affordable Nairobi day trip.

“This was a major highlight of my trip to Kenya. My driver and guides were great and gave me lots of time to make stops to watch the animals or take pictures. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Lake Naivasha Trips, Lake Nakuru Safaris, Nairobi Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Day Tour To Lake Nakuru Park With Optional Boat Ride on Lake Naivasha

6.Day Tour To Lake Nakuru Park With Optional Boat Ride on Lake Naivasha

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 84 reviews · from $210

Review of a private Nairobi day trip to Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha, with flamingos, wildlife, hippos, boat rides, costs, and practical tips.

“The ride out of Nairobi is quite long and the first park is OK and has quite a few animals and a nice exposure to an African Safari. The boat ride option is a must as the island is teeming with wildlife and quite relaxing. Very worthwhile.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Hells Gate National Park Tours, Lake Naivasha Trips, Nairobi Tours, National Parks, Tour Reviews, Tours

Day Tour To Hell’s Gate National Park and Optional Boat Ride on Lake Naivasha.

7.Day Tour To Hell’s Gate National Park and Optional Boat Ride on Lake Naivasha.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · from $65

Cycle beside wildlife in Hell’s Gate, view the Great Rift Valley, and add a hippo-filled Lake Naivasha boat ride from Nairobi.

“Great tour and guides! Truly recommend to everyone! So happy that we picked this one. Our best activity is Kenya so far.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Diani Beach Tours, Tour Reviews

Diani Beach: Glass Boat Cruise to Robinson Island

8.Glass Boat Cruise to Robinson Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 69 reviews · 4 hours · from $42

Review of Diani Beach's $42 glass boat trip to Robinson Island, with snorkeling, tuk tuk pickup, coral reefs, sandbank swimming, and practical tips.

“We had a brilliant time with Florence, Mishe and the crew of the boat! Florence picked us up from our hotel by tuk tuk; the boat departed from a beach club a short walk away. The journey was beautiful and the captain explained about the local area. The crew fed fish for us to see through the glass bottom of the boat, and we got to see radiant seastars up close. Mishe then took us snorkelling and pointed out loads of wildlife. Florence and I walked on Robinson Island and she showed me lots more wildlife on the exposed reef at low tide. We had such a great time on…”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Diani Beach Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Diani Beach: Kongo River Estuary Sundowner Boat Tour

9.Kongo River Estuary Sundowner Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 39 reviews · 2 hours · from $42

Cruise Diani’s Kongo River Estuary by tuk tuk and canoe, watch birds and mangroves, visit a village, and catch a peaceful sunset.

“It was so great, captain Abdul was the best and Florence the other guide so kind I will never forget this experience”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Lake Naivasha Trips, Nairobi Tours, Private, Tour Reviews, Tours

Private Tour to Mount Longonot and Optional Boat Ride on Lake Naivasha

10.Private Tour to Mount Longonot and Optional Boat Ride on Lake Naivasha

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews · from $125

Review of a private Mount Longonot hike and Lake Naivasha boat ride from Nairobi, with practical advice on fitness, timing, costs, and value.

“Traffic on that road is terrible always takes 2 hrs and our allocated driver was the worst we have had in 20 years of expedition travel ……… English very poor and driving poor”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Lunch Experiences, Malindi Tours, Private, Snorkeling, Tour Reviews, Wasini Island Dhow Trips

Kisite Marine Park Private Boat Snorkeling with breakfast & Lunch

11.Kisite Marine Park Private Boat Snorkeling with breakfast & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · from $161

Review of Kisite Marine Park snorkeling from Malindi, with dhow sailing, dolphins, Swahili lunch, Wasini Island, transport, and practical tips.

“This was not our favorite snorkeling experience. To start, it was not clear to me that the driver was not the guide, but only a taxi basically - he picked us up and took us to and from the marine park. He did ride with us on the boat, but was not very friendly. We went out on a rRead more”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Cycling Tours, Hells Gate National Park Tours, Lake Naivasha Trips, National Parks, Tour Reviews, Tours

Bike Tour at Hell’s Gate National Park, Boat Ride at L. Naivasha

12.Bike Tour at Hell’s Gate National Park, Boat Ride at L. Naivasha

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · from $92

Cycle among giraffes and zebras at Hell’s Gate, hike Ol Jorowa Gorge, then cruise Lake Naivasha for birds and hippos.

“The tour was great! We had a great time with Reagan as our guide! He even bought us waters which we really appreciated!”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Diani Beach Tours, Tour Reviews

Diani Beach: Glass-Bottom Boat Cruise to Robinson Island

13.Glass-Bottom Boat Cruise to Robinson Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 22 reviews · 2 hours · from $35

Review of Diani Beach’s $35 glass-bottom boat cruise to Robinson Island, with snorkeling, a captain’s fish show, tuk-tuk pickup, and practical tips.

“Dette var en veldig bra tur! Datteren min på 4 år elsket det, de hadde redningsvest til henne, det var et stor pluss. Da fikk hun også snorklet. Morsom guide, med gode historier og han fant masse spennende på sjøbunnen som vi fikk se. Anbefales! 2 timer var perfekt for oss.”

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Canoes & Kayaks, Cruises & Boat Tours, Diani Beach Tours, Evening Experiences, Tour Reviews

Diani: Sunset Cruise along Kongo River on Wooden Canoe boat

14.Sunset Cruise along Kongo River on Wooden Canoe boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 20 reviews · 2 hours · from $35

Review of Diani’s Kongo River sunset canoe cruise, with mangroves, bird watching, transport details, value advice, and practical tips.

“Retki oli aika mitään sanomaton. Joella ei ole juurikaan nähtävää ja auringonlaskukaan ei ollut kovin kummallinen. Kuljetus oli järjestetty tuk tukilla, jossa meitä oli yhteensä 6hlöä (!). En menisi uudestaan.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Guided, Hells Gate National Park Tours, Lake Naivasha Trips, Tour Reviews, Tours

Hell’s Gate Guided Tour with Option Boat Ride at Lake Naivasha

15.Hell’s Gate Guided Tour with Option Boat Ride at Lake Naivasha

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 20 reviews · from $265

Cycle through Hell’s Gate, walk its gorge, meet a Maasai community, and cruise Lake Naivasha on a private day trip from Nairobi.

“The level of kindness and service from this company was remarkable! We had a flight change and arrived a day later and they met us at the airport instead of the hotel. The driver was knowledgeable and made sure we had all that we needed. I was nervous, being a mom traveling with my son (14 years) but now we’re already talking about coming back!”

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