3 day Karuru waterfall.

The objective of the hiker is to spend 3 days exploring the western side the Aberdare mountain range. This hike may be suititable for anyone wishing to acclamatise for a mt. Kenya or Mt. Kilimanjaro trek.

Day 1. The hike starts from the forest gate at Kahuruko. After zipping boots, you take the tarmac road going up to the park gate. You walk the afforested part of the KFS managed forest that rapidly gives way to thick bamboo. The road gets lonely and treacherous as meadre through it climbing steadily from 2600 metres asl to 3200 metres asl.
Pitch camp at the part gate for overnight stay.

Day 2: From the Mutubio park gate whence you walk down a motororableroad for half a kilometre then turn right into the moorland. You descend gently towards the catchment of the tributary to the karuru river and walk along the edges following animal trails till you get to the road.

Once you get to the road, walk along it until you get to the campsite. After a short rest you walk down a steep path, across the bridges with crystal clear water and up to the view point.

The other alternative is to walk along the motorable road from the gate until you get to the first turning to the right. Take this right turn, then walk along it to the campsite and onwards to the view point.

Then you walk back to the park gate for over night stay

Day 3: You start early morning to descend the 10 kms to the forest gate.

Guiding
KWS rangers

Fee
Standard KWS park fees
Standard KWS rangers fees

Getting there
Public means:
Take matatus to Kahuruko

The objective of the hiker is to get to the waterfall overlooking the spectacular Karuru falls and back to mutubio.

The hike starts from the mutubio park gate whence you walk down a motororableroad for half a kilometre then turn right into the moorland. You descend gently towards the catchment of the tributary to the karuru river and walk along the edges following animal trails till you get to the road.

Once you get to the road, walk along it until you get to the campsite. After a short rest you walk down a steep path, across the bridges with crystal clear water and up to the view point.

The other alternative is to walk along the motorable road from the gate until you get to the first turning to the right. Take this right turn, then walk along it to the campsite and onwards to the view point.

Guiding
KWS rangers

Fee
Standard KWS park fees
Standard KWS rangers fees

Getting there
Public means:
Take matatus to Ndunyu-njeru and hire a taxi to the Mutubio park gate.

Private means:
From Ndunyu njeru drive through the earth road up to the forest gate. Then meadre your way into the thick bamboo forest. The road through the forest is tarmacked for the rest of the uphill 10 km journey to the park gate.

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The purpose of this hike is to spend an hour or so enjoying the natural habitat of the private conservancy.

Outdoor enthusiast will find Ololosukuan, also called savannah sunset resort, fascinating. Within a very small area, you get to experience the thrill of hiking, riverine walk, and nature trail as the birds chirp all around you.

But is not only the die-hard outdoist find this place thrilling. Its proximity to the city makes it attractive to city residents wishing for a quick afternoon away from the concrete jungle. Moreover it gives a not so enthusiastic hiker a chance to climb 5 metres and assess ones fitness.

The Ololosukuan fun hike starts at the resort bar (after ordering meat and drinks). You walk down over a couple of boulders past the bar and suddenly disappear into the bushes and suddenly emerge at the campsite at the centre of the conservancy. You then make a further sharp descent, round and around a massive boulder onto a track that leads out of the bushes into the grazing fields. From here you may walk along the fence past the home with a tractor packed outside (I have seen there for donkey’s years), till you reach a road. Turn left at the road and move on to the riverbed that is mostly dry. Turn into the river bed and walk upstream on and out of the river bed ascending gently to the waterfall and back to the road.

Warning: Do not try the riverine walk during the rain season.

Back on to the campsite you will get to marvel at the nostalgic undulation of the southern hills such as Ole Sayeti, Ololroka, Olesekut and Olorgesailie. Suswa crater will be visible to the West-Northwest. The sun sets very fast so if you are a sunset person, better be on the lookout. If you are lucky to be around when night falls, you be treated to the melody of crickets.

Getting There
Public Means: Board bus number 111 at railway terminus and alight at Ngong town. Walk Kibiko stage near the Oloolaiser water fending point and from here either take the Probox matatus, a tuk-tuk or Boda-Boda.

Private means: At Ngong town, turn into Kibiko road near Ngong Matonyok and drive to the end of tarmac (2km), and past Kibiko secondary(2.5KM), Kibiko shopping centre (3km), and to the Savannah Sunset Resort (6KM) just before tunnel one of the SGR.

If you are using an electronic navigator put destination as savannah sunset lodge

Guide
Resort staff

Fee
Sh100 per person

Ragia Forest – Sasumua River Hike

The objective of this hike is to traverse the bamboo section of Ragia forest, and descend to then ascend from the deep valley of the Ragia two waterfalls number 17 and number 18.

The Ragia forest trail may start from Ragia forest gate or from the Sasumua dam depending on the r
oute one takes from Njabini. You walk on a motorable road along the fringes of Sasumua Dam (that supply’s water to Nairobi), from where you will be treated to spectacular view of elephant hill.

About a kilometre from the dam, the trail abandons the motorable road and diverts into the thick bamboo, where you try to make out animal trails until you reach the clearing marking the water pipeline wayleave. Your struggle with the bamboo abates briefly until suddenly the guide turns left into the bamboo again and the struggle resumes but abruptly ends as the trail deeps as dramatically as the bamboo gives way to a rain forest.

From boots to butts

During the rainy season the place can be serious slippery and many a hiker gives up using boots and reverts to butts. As the roar of the waterfall assaults your ears, the trail drops vertically 2.5 metres into the Sasumua River from where you make a short but exiting riverine walk up to the magnificent Ragia waterfall (waterfall 17)

You camera comes handy on the centre rock.

Your journey back is as dramatic. Where gravity aided the descent it thwarts the ascent. Butts are replaced by knees and hands (sometimes ladies remember they haven’t paid the manicurist for the last visit). Once you get to the way leave, you decide whether to proceed to waterfall 18 or back to the gate.

Getting There

Public means: From Nairobi, take Njabini matatus at the junction of Keekorock road and the Nation House roundabout. Alight at Njabini town. At the Njabini matatu stage you will easily negotiate for a Matatu to Sasumua.

Private means: Drive towards Njabini and take a right turn just before the river sasumua bridge. Drive four kilometres to the forest gate.

Entry charges:

Guide

Local community organisation,

Kenya Forest Service

Make prior arrangement

The objective of the hiker is to traverse the section between the old to the new Nairobi-Nakuru highways. The hiker will go up Kijabe hill, then down Kijabe hill and then up the Kinari ridge and onward to the New Nairobi-Nakuru highway. This hike is ideal for a moderately paced hiker. A mix of slow and moderate speed hikers on this hike always leads to hikers crossing the notorious Kinari forest at dusk which is not advisable

The trail follows the Kijabe hill trail, as described in this post, up to the second crossing of the railway line. (the Lunatic express meadres round the hill)

To recap, the hike starts 9 km form Mai Mahiu just after the conspicuous IDP settlement. Starting at an altitude 2010masl, the  hiker trudges steadily up hill for two to three hours to be at the peak, that is 2659masl. After resting at the peak and doing what hikers do on peaks, you start your descent down the eastern slope. You walk past the place where the paragliders launch their escapades, into and past the farms and homesteads, then into the forest reserve again, and march on to a point near the railway line for lunch. In total you will have dropped down 467metres to 2192asl.  If your timing is good, but it won’t, you will have lunch under some trees as you rest and re-strap your boots. After lunch you walk downhill a few metres to the railway line then walk northwards along it up to two hundred metres off the station. After stopping for a breather it is time to tackle the Kinare ridge.

During the dry season the trail is easily visible. But during the rainy season the bush quickly reclaims territory and the hike is more like a test of wits between bush and man.  Make you’re your way through the barely discernible grazing tracks until the path opens to the rush expanses of Kikuyu grass. Cross the grass and into Kinare forest and on to soko mjinga or flyover.

Weather allowing you will be treated to a spectacular sunset on the escarpment before heading to soko mjinga for roast maize. Beware that the place is not called soko
mjinga for nothing

Requirements
Guide fee
Forest charges

Guiding
KENVO

1Kijabe Hill seen from the Mahi Mahiu Naivasha Highway

Kijabe hill is the second most salient feature north of Mai-Mahiu (Maĩ mahiũ) – means hot water. (It is important to get it right because a change of vowels can give the word completely different meanting). The objective of the hiker is to get to the top of the hill and over the other side then return to the Mai-Mahiu-Naivasha road. The distance to the peak is about 3.2 km, which should take the novice hiker between three and four hours.

The hike starts 9km from Mai Mahiu a point that is almost halfway to Longonot town. The starting altitude is 2010masl and hikers take a northerly direction on a trail that climbs straight and steady until the railway line. This maybe a good place to pause and take stalk of where you have come from as you sip some water and energise. The trail then changes direction north east and the gradient increases somewhat. The hiker is advised to stick to the path charted by the guide as gullies, from erosion and tectonic earth movement, are deep and treacherous. The thorn bushes do get quite shot but arrogant after this point attacking the ankles and lower legs mercilessly. But it is not all gloom because while it does not save you the cost of a tattoo, it means you are too busy evading the pricks to notice the tedious climb. As such you barely notice time pass as you get to the rocky part where the gradient ratchets a notch higher, hiding the true peak and thus making one believe that over those rocks is the peak.

After this false peak the climb is steady to the true peak, at 2659masl.

A brief rest is well earned. Unfortunately up that hill there is nowhere to hind from the vagaries of the weather, be it the chill of July, the windy March or the sun. However you are well rewarded by the view all around you as you soak in the beauty of the surrounding country. But what catches the eye of the hiker is the hiking opportunities displayed all around:

There is Suswa to the South, Longonot to the West, Elephant hill to east and the ridges of the Eastern Escarpment of the Great Rift Valley Kinare, Kiharu, Nathan’s, and William’s hill)

As you enjoy the peace up there and the apparent calm below you cannot help but marvel at the IDP camps down below and the resilience their gallant dwellers. Theirs is an island of green tall trees in the middle of stunted grass all round.

The return journey is quick two hours downhill. You the walk eastwards down the hill, cross the railway line, and trudge on to the abandoned old Kijabe town. From here, walk another one hour west along a motorable road until you get two the highway about four kilometres from where you stared.

If you are using private means, the vehicle will be waiting here. Otherwise, you should easily hail down a Matatu to Mai Mahiu for late lunch.

Requirements

Guide fee

Guiding

Local Community