Ngong Hills Forest Reserve — Attraction in Olkeri ward

Location

As the name suggests, the hills are in Ngong. If you live in Ngong town and the surrounding areas, then it is conveniently located. If you are coming from the CBD, take the matatus to Ngong at railways. If you are coming from Kikuyu, there are direct matatus to Ngong Town and note that Michuki laws don't apply so you will be seating 4 people per row 😔😔😔. Once you get to the town, you can either walk there, take a boda boda or a tuk tuk. It is a stretch, but if you don't mind the walk you can definitely start your hike early.

Cost

The entrance fee is KES 232 for citizens. There aren't any other costs. Do ask for a receipt. You pay via mpesa and they will send you a prompt once they take your number. This is the one place I wish we paid on e-citizen because something doesn't seem right and this place is worth conserving and all the money collected should go towards conserving and improving what needs to be improved.

From the town, a boda boda costs KES 150 and a tuk tuk seating 5 is KES 100 per person. From Kikuyu to Ngong is KES 80 and from railways to Ngong is KES 100 or 80 depending.

*Experience *

If you arrive very early in the morning, there is a food truck that serves tea and snacks so you can warm up before your hike.

When I went, the weather was good. I still dressed warmly and I personally wore hiking boots. I hiked all 7 hills and although some were more challenging than others, they were all manageable.

After the 6th hill, there are people offering massage services for those who feel like they need it.

There are vendors selling sweets, sugar cane juice and even smokies as you move along.

I hiked alone and I felt safe as there were plenty of people and I went at my own pace.

You can take a breather after each ascend and take your time enjoying the views.

Once you are done, you can either walk back or get out at the corner baridi gate. If you are using public transport, go back to the main entrance. Yes, you will hike both ways, but it is less stressful. Getting a matatu at the corner baridi was really hard and I ended up taking a boda boda which was expensive. It cost me KES 250 after bargaining to Kiserian. If you are heading back to the CBD, you can get a matatu in Kiserian. If not, you have to take one to Ngong Town. Either way, this route is not cost effective and the corner baridi area is very isolated. You can get a boda boda to take you back to the main gate from here as well.

Recommendations

Start your hike early. Dress warmly and have good foot ware. Go at your own pace.

This place is ideal for solo hikes, group hikes, a walking date, yoga sessions, painting sessions and even meditation. I saw kids, elderly people, so all ages can definitely hike these hills.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed my hike and will definitely be back. I recommend the place and come November, I will be attending the...

Ngong Hills Reserve Review 🌄

Before visiting, we heard Ngong Hills could be unsafe to go alone, so I asked other travelers from my hostel to join. Surprisingly, eight of us ended up going together and that made the trip so much more fun and safe 👭👬.

We planned to leave at 7 a.m., but you know how groups are 😅 we started around 7:40. Google said it’s a short hike, but don’t be fooled it takes around 6 hours if you go all the way to the last peak ⏱️. None of us expected that, so we didn’t bring enough food or water 🥵. If you’re planning to go, bring plenty of both and maybe some snacks or tea for a picnic 🍵🍪.

We took two Ubers from Nairobi (about 40 minutes 🚗). Once you reach Ngong town, you’ll need to navigate a bit before getting to the main gate. At the entrance, pay at the office (cash or M-Pesa 💵📱). One person can pay for everyone, then the group reimburses later that’s what we did.

You don’t need a guide, so politely decline offers 🙅‍♂️. The hike has 7 peaks along one trail 🏞️. The first one is tough, but the views are stunning 😍. We took selfies on every peak 🤳 and agreed to stop only if someone got too tired. With short breaks and good energy, we made it all the way to the highest peak and surprisingly found people offering massages up there! 😂 Still wondering how they even got there.

When heading back, don’t expect Uber pickup from the gate. You’ll need to take motorbikes (boda bodas) down to Ngong town 🏍️. Negotiate the price first and ride two people plus the driver. Once you’re in town, order an Uber from there. The town can be a bit chaotic, so stay alert 👀.

After returning to the hostel, we rested and ended the day with a small party 🎉. It turned into an unforgettable day full of laughs, teamwork, and beautiful views 🌿❤️.

Final tips: Go in a group, assign one person as the coordinator, and make sure everyone stays together especially the girls. Bring enough food, water, and energy snacks 🍌💧. Ngong Hills is beautiful but tougher than it looks totally...

After reading the reviews, we decided to avoid the heat of the day and arrived at the gate at 8 am on a Sunday (it's not really well signed, we went by uber and it was complicated to get there...). It was so misty that we couldn't see 10 steps ahead of us, and totally windy and cold. We told the guard at the gate that maybe we should wait but he insisted in us going as it was going to clear soon. We were told we could only get to the 3rd hill, as there were buffalos after that and could be dangerous. It took us literally 30 min to get to the 3rd hill. Mist hadn't cleared, the views were nonexistent and we struggled to walk due to the wind and the cold as we were not wearing warm clothes (we had sun screen and hats and summer clothes as thought the heat was going to be unbearable). It was so cold at the top that we decided to get down before it cleared. We were told by our guard (lovely lady btw) that the mist is normal in the morning hours and it was not going to clear until 10-11 am (why weren't we told this before?!). When we got back the mist started to clear and the view was indeed stunning, but that's not why we paid KES 600 per person + KES 1200 for the guard + KES 2500 for the Uber. We wanted a relaxing Sunday walk with nice views not a a 30-min struggle in the mist to not see a thing

Advice:

Don't go too early!!! People started arriving at 10 am when we were leaving. Wear appropriate clothes for the wind and cold The hike is easy, not...