Ngong Hills
| Distance from Nairobi | About 22km |
| Starting Point | Ngong Police Station |
| Ending point | Kona Baridi |
| Walking Duration | 4 - 5 hours |
| Terrain | Initially a dirt road till the radio masts, then trails over the rolling hills for the rest of the way. |
| Difficulty | Moderate. Can get very windy. |
The Ngong Hills’ proximity to Nairobi, 22km southwest of the city, makes it a very popular weekend destination for visitors from all over the country. Some come for walks while others picnic or worship on the hills. Professional and amateur runners will also be found in the morning jogging up and down the steep slopes.
The whole mountain range is a gazetted forest reserve covering an area of over 21,000 sq km, with the highest peak on the knuckle-shaped Ngong hills at 2460m above sea level.
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- Windmills on Ngong Hills
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- Trail on the Ngong Hills
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- Magadi road view from Ngong hills
Route Description
The hiking trail on the Ngong Hills starts from Ngong town at the northern foot of the hills 1961m above sea level, and traverses the top edge of the range to the southern end at Kona Baridi. This takes about 4 to 5 hour to complete, depending on fitness levels. The first 2 kilometers from Ngong Police Station are a gradual ascent through human settlements until you get to a Kenya Forest Service (KFS) barrier indicating the start of the Ngong Hills forest reserve. From here on, you go past a wind farm, before climbing the first steep hill leading to an area populated with Radio repeater station masts.
The trail thins out and descents into a trough before you climb the next steep hill. Just when you think the worst is over, the rolling hills seem to keep popping up, with each taking its toll on you. Thankfully, the views all round are magnificent, making the effort worthwhile. On a lucky day, you are likely to encounter buffalos around the fourth hill, on account of the abundant bushes at these higher altitudes on the range. To your right is a fantastic view of the Great Rift Valley, while on the far left is a view of the City of Nairobi.
Getting There
If using public means from Nairobi, take matatu number 111 from the Railway Station terminus. You can then walk or hire a boda boda (motorbike) to Ngong Police Station, the starting point for this hike. The fare to Ngong Town is about Ksh 70 one way. You’ll then return to Nairobi using matatus from Kiserian.
If driving, take Ngong Road and go past Dagoretti Corner, Karen and Ngong Town till Ngong Police Station. You may then park at the station, or arrange for someone to drive your car to Kona Baridi.
Entry Requirements
Entry fee is Ksh 200 per person paid to Kenya Forest Service at their office opposite the Ngong Police Station, or at the KFS barrier on the trail.
Caution: Security on Ngong Hills is a major concern, with some incidents of muggers attacking small groups of visitors reported over the years. You are therefore advised to get armed escort from KFS at the gate.
Guide
If you’d like to have a guided tour of the Ngong Hills, get in touch with either of the following:
Emmanuel Kaimarish (tel: +254 704 866745, email: emmanurish@gmail.com)
Paul Kalaile – Tel: +254 714 155872,
email: paulnteyierr@gmail.com
On the contrary you should be saying that “on an UNLUCKY day you are likely to encounter buffaloes on the fourth hill….as an encounter with a buffalo can potentially be the last encounter you will ever have!!!
Thanks for your observation Rajan 🙂 I’m sure many will agree with your view. I’ve had the pleasure of buffalo encounters once in Ngong Hills and another time at Ol Donyo Sabuk, and although things could have gone south at the blink of an eye, I was fortunate both times. Fortunate for the sightings, and for coming through them unharmed.
would love to do hiking
Jambo vaishali.
Its nice toi see your coment.Im one of the guides to the and you could contact me if you stil would like to explore the beauty of the Ngong Hills.
KARIBU
ad love 2 go there who should i contact for more information
Jambo vjaih
Im not sure if you are stil intrested to do the hike over the beautifull ngong Hills like you mentioned but you could contact me whenever you have time.
Im one of the guides and dont mind sharing the infor or be your guide.there are also a few contacts given on this website that can help you get along.
KARIBU KENYA
Very helpful website.keep it up.
ASANTE
I think for serious hiker(s) it better to approach from corner baridi so that one climbs many( 12) hills. From ngong side only four hills can challenge. I hike every Saturday and its fun.
But the information you have posted is very helpful.
Thanks for your helpful suggestion Janet. You must be in great shape to do it every Saturday.
Ngong hills charge 200pp as of August 2013.
Thanks Win. I’ve updated.
Question: if one wants to hike from Ngong town to Kona Baridi, does anyone know (with 100% confidence) whether the little white public-transport “Proboxes” still move up and down the escarpment between Oltepesi and Kiserian (as of Oct 2013)? It would not be good to arrive at the road and find we need to walk all the way back to Ngong… Thanks in advance for your advice!
what r the entry charges n horse ridding charges??
i would like to ask if you offer camping at ngong hills. if you do please contact me on the charges. thanks
I LOVE TRAVELLING
I LOVE KENYA
i did a remakable 40 mins up nd 30 mins back on my first day hiking i topped my group and enjoyed it only problem is cold currents if u finish hiking toooo late in the evening….it was fun am a strong guy dont try push ur limits
my group of 60 people are planning to come for hiking on 31st July 2016, kindly advise a group entry rate and the current situation in regards to security
I fear you might not get a response from KFS since they do not monitor this website. I would suggest you give them a call instead, or better yet call one of the guides listed above.
Hello, Jambo Nairobi, i would like to say i was there with a group of 11 during the last weekend of July 2016 and we were gracefully charged Kshs 100 after negotiations with the KWS staff at the barrier station ( They accepted our student college ID cards). They charged us Kshs 1,500 for our guide who was armed with an AK 47, well showing us how serious they were on matters security. A white toyota corolla A 100 was always moving up and down the trail with three extra rangers inside and they were in constant communication with our ranger guide. For the guard we were charged Kshs 1,500 a standard fee as by then (July 2016). Once up the trail there were pleasing sights to the eye but we were unable to go past the third hill due to the lack of time. We started the hike at around 2 pm and evening set in rather quickly and with the weather turning rainy we were forced to go back. Otherwise a very lovely place to go to.
Also there is a point just after the wind and radio masts that has a large warning sign, on not proceeding past that point without guards. The trail at that place becomes impassable for vehicles, even a 4 x 4 but parking is relatively safe. We left our vehicles at the KWS barrier though and there was no extra charge for parking. The hill conditions expected are generally windy and cold even during a typical African summer. Ensure to carry at least a 500 ml water bottle or alternatively buy from the Ngong township to minimize on inconveniences. A thouroughly pleasant experience even for young kids, aged no lower than 12 years and should have no sinuses or as the air does get cold sometimes. There is a place with a concrete seat just past the first small hill with a lovely view of the city to the left and the Rift Valley to the right. Highly recommended for photographers.
Thanks for your feedback Van.
The trails are full of trash.
Yea, it urgently needs a clean up! and tighter restrictions on waste disposal e.g like they do at Longonot, they count all non bio-degradables carried by each person, to be disposed at a pit when visitors are back to base after the hike
Is the safety still a concern as seeing this is dated 2013?