Discover Elephant Hill: Trails, Location, Fees, Resort

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HIKING ELEPHANT HILL IN KENYA

Looking for a tough hill that will get you out of your comfort zone and prepare you to hike tougher mountains like Mount Kenya? Elephant Hills got you. This is not just a hill but more of a mountain. 

Elephant Hills are located in Nyandarua County, Njabini. Njabini Forest Gate is located 4 km from Njabini town. Elephant Hills are at the southern end of the Aberdare Ranges. It is approximately 90 km from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. 

The Aberdare Ranges are essential for the residents who live around it and the residents of Nairobi. The Aberdare Ranges feed the two largest dams, which feed Nairobi with clean water. The dams are Ndakaini dam in Thika and Sasumua dam in Njabini.

Elephant Hills is a very scenic place from the thick bamboo forest, thick forest cover, the escarpments and terrains, and the moorland. The views from this hill are just amazing. This is just a place that you ought to visit to believe.

LOCATION OF ELEPHANT HILLS

If you are using public transport, you will board a matatu at Old Nation House to Njabini. If you are driving yourself, you will use the Nairobi-Nakuru highway, then divert at the flyover a few kilometers on the flyover and take the route to Njabini town.

From Nairobi via A104 and Thika-Gatura Road/C67 is 93.7km and will take you approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes. Using the Limuru Road via A104 and Thika-Gatura Road will take you 2 hours, 21 minutes which is 95.1 km.

ELEPHANT HILL TRAILS

From the Njabini Forest Gate to the starting point it is approximately 3km. The trail to the starting point will take you through an area with human activities and cattle and sheep grazing points. The road is flat, giving a friendly start.

• Starting point

The starting point is at an elevation of 2500 meters above sea level. At this point, the trail will start introducing you to the reality of the hike. The trail will start to be steep.

• The Bamboo site

The next sign is the Bamboo site at an elevation of 2933 meters above sea level. This part is the toughest. If you start your hike early in the morning, this section will be foggy and dark. Bamboo trees are very long trees that form a nice shade. The shade makes the trail dark, wet, and slippery. This trail is also steep, making it worse.  

Despite the challenges, this point is very scenic and beautiful. The trees make the place very beautiful. The view will be encouraging you to continue pushing on. You will come across elephant dung and their footprints on the trail to show that there are elephants in the area.

• The Desperado is also known as a point of despair.

The Bamboo site opens up to this sign. At this point, many, especially the new hikers, are tempted to give up. This is because the bamboo site is a very difficult part. Do not be one of them because the next part is easy.

This point is very cold and misty. The higher you go, the cooler it gets.  At this point, you can get a rest, eat a snack, and drink water, but sip by sip, not gulping. The view from this point on a clear day is so amazing. The escarpment and the terrain are so beautiful. The vegetation here is moorland. Which means the trees are short.

• The tail

The trail turns rocky and steep. From here you can see the summit, which gives hope of conquering the hill. At this point, you will be eager to get to the summit, and the distance will seem to get longer and longer.

The feeling of conquering the hike will energize you up the steep slope to the summit.

• The summit

Getting here is always a joy to everyone and a goal finally fulfilled. The satisfactory feeling can even make you forget the fatigue and the struggle you faced climbing up. This is an achievement that you will remember forever.

From the summit on a clear day, you can see the Ndakaini Dam and the Sasumua Dam from afar. The summit is at an elevation of 12,000 feet.

The weather at Elephant Hills changes from warm to sunny to foggy to hailstorm and rain. Therefore, it is extremely cold. You should wear warm, waterproof clothes.

Something else to note is that you will feel some changes in your body with the change in altitude. You will feel your chest filling up, headaches, and panting a lot. Do not be alarmed; this is normal; a sip of water at a time with resting time is medicine. Unless you have other health conditions.

ELEPHANT HILL KINANGOP TRAVERSE.

If you are planning to conquer Elephant Hill and traverse through Kinangop Peak, you should be physically fit and mentally prepared. It is not easy; it is very tough and needs patience, resilience, and stamina.

Traversing to Mount Kinangop will be through a very steep descent. It is rocky and with short trees. After the descent, you will start climbing to the Kinangop peak. It is very tough. For you to conquer this, you will need experience in hiking.

The traversing lane is very windy, cold, and misty. During the short rains season the place rains mostly in the afternoon and evenings. The weather conditions here are wet almost throughout the year. You can easily get lost while traversing to the Kinangop Peak. You need to hike together to save the struggle of looking for each other.

You can go down the Kinangop Peak through Mutarakwa route. The hike down the hill is approximately 15 km. You will come across skulls as you descend. The trail down Mount Kinangop is very famous because it is tough.

The total kilometers through Elephant Hills to Kinangop and down to the ending point are 31 km. It can take you approximately 14 hours, depending on your speed and resting time.

The elephant hiking tail

This is the highest hill in Kenya. The trail is very tough compared to Mount Kalembwa in Makueni, the Sleeping Warrior, and Mount Kilembwani (make sure to check on them). According to me, the Elephant Hills are even tougher than hiking Mount Longonot.

THINGS TO DO AT ELEPHANT HILLS

Apart from hiking, you can visit Elephant Hills for other activities like:

• Nature walks

You can visit the place to just bond with nature and breathe the fresh air of the forest. This helps to reduce stress and to change the environment from a noisy, bustling city to a quiet place with just the noise of birds, streams, and your footsteps.

If you cannot hike to the summit, you can learn about the plant species in the area and more.

• Bird watching

Bring along your best camera, ready to capture bird species in Elephant Hills. This is an activity that needs patience since, for some of the birds, you will have to look for them by following their sound.

THE ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK

It covers an area of 767 square kilometers. leeIt is a low altitude hence known as a landscape park. It is a great tourist attraction and therefore attracts a lot of tourists.

The different variety of terrains found in this area makes it even more beautiful. Aberdare National Park hosts animals like white and black colobus monkeys, baboons, leopards, and the black rhino. In the bamboo forest host animals like lions, golden cats, and elephants roam around this area and antelopes.

The park has a very big and old Mugumo tree which has a spiritual significance among the kikuyu. The park played a vital role during the colonial period when the Maumau freedom fighters used to hide there. The fig tree even acted as a post office where the freedom fighters used to place their letter for effective communication among each other. 

Aberdare Ranges National Park is home to other Aberdare Ranges peaks like Mount Satima, Kinangop Peak, Gura, and Karuru Falls among other famous destinations you should check out. This is a park that is worth your visit to just explore.

ELEPHANT HILLS ENTRY FEE

PREPARATION FOR HIKING ELEPHANT HILLS

Before you plan to visit Elephant Hills:

1. You will need to have an exercise session two weeks before. Do exercises like jogging, swimming, and cycling to exercise your aerobics.

2. Eat enough well-balanced food for energy.

• Have enough rest and sleep 2 days before the hiking day.
• Drink a lot of water 2 weeks before the hiking day for maximum hydration.
• Go for a checkup to confirm you are fit in terms of health and ready for the hike.
• On the day of the hike, take a heavy breakfast 3 hours before the hike. This will give the food enough time to digest.

No matter the season while visiting Elephant Hills, make sure you wear warm clothes. Carry a raincoat or wear waterproof clothes. Invest in high-rise shoes with a firm grip. This will come in handy while hiking the slippery and rocky trails.

Carry 3-4 liters of water and enough snacks for energy.

THE BEST TIME TO VISIT ELEPHANT HILLS

You can visit Elephant Hills any season of the year. The weather here is wet almost throughout the year. During the dry season the weather starts warm, but in the afternoons or as you climb higher it will start raining or experience hailstorms.

The weather is very unpredictable here, but come prepared with warm clothes because the area is generally cold, foggy, and misty.

ELEPHANT HILL RESORT

After the hike, you will look forward to a nice lunch. Do not worry. Elephant Hill resort is set on a small hill overlooking the Zambezi River. It is 6km from Victoria Falls Bridge.

They offer accommodation, a golf course, a spa, and swimming.

OTHER ACCOMMODATIONS AROUND ELEPHANT HILLS

1. Bubble Lodge Kinangop a 3-star hotel, located on Engineer Njabini Road
2. Luna Light Guest House, Karagita
3. Rock Villa Guesthouse in Njabini, South Kinangop

Book with us and let us go on a hike like no other filled with fun, lessons to learn, and memories to remember forever. Do not be left out this is your sign to explore Kenya.

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