In an effort to draw tourists to Kenya’s Mount Longonot National Park, zip lines will be installed across the mountain’s 1.1-mile-wide crater. Kenya’s tourism cabinet secretary Najib Balala sees the zip line as an opportunity to diversify the park’s offerings, which currently include hiking trails, picnic sites, and campsites.
Kenya Wildlife Service calls Mount Longonot an “extinct volcano.” Balala said the mountain attracts 60,000 guests a year, but is one of the least visited of Kenya’s national parks, according to the Kenya Tourism Board.
As Kirsten Kanja reported in The Standard, during a recent visit, Balala addressed guests following an ascent of the peak. “If we maintain ourselves to just safari and taking pictures, that is not going to increase the numbers of tourists that we want. And it is not just about tourists in general, but also our Kenyan, domestic tourists,” Balala said.
According to the Kenya Tourism Board, Mount Longonot is host to such wildlife as zebras, giraffes, Grant’s gazelles, and over 110 bird species. Recognizing the value of protecting the fragility of this extinct volcano’s ecosystem, which includes a forest inside the crater, Balala stressed the importance of responsibly developing projects of this nature.
Tupande Mt. Kenya is a campaign aiming at improving Mount Kenya hiking experiences while also promoting adventure tourism in Kenya. #MagicalKenya 🇰🇪@EliudKipchoge @magicalkenya @kwskenya @Min_TourismKE pic.twitter.com/59NwfJwBQg
— Hon. Najib Balala (@tunajibu) May 9, 2022
