1 Day Elephant Hill Aberdare Trek

Day by Day Tour Itinerary

The first few kilometers are over relatively flat forest covered terrain, with the occasional herd of cattle grazing the glades in the forest a testament to the growing push by human settlements into the receding forest boundary. To be seen here best views of Great rift valley, lake Naivasha, Longonot Ndakaini dam, sasumua dam, Wildlife expect to see, elephants/tracks, Antelopes, Columbus monkeys and for Bird watching over 250 species birds has been recorded here.

On ascending further up, the forest gives way to the Bamboo zone. The narrow trail, punctuated every few steps by treacherous mud, at this point is covered by a canopy of towering bamboo with the filtered light enhancing the jungle feel as you continue trudging up the now steeper path. The occasional elephant footprint and droppings from various animal species are a constant reminder that you are in a game reserve teeming with wildlife, with the armed escort your only shield from possible danger.

The rest of the hike goes over slightly rocky terrain at an altitude of over 3500m above sea level, with the temperature dropping significantly, as you pick you way across the elephants back. The trail first descents into a clamp of trees before turning back upwards out of the small valley. It then gets pretty steep as it meanders past gnarled giant heather trees adorned with spanish moss offering handholds when you need to pull yourself up the slope. Mercifully it soon levels off to give you your first view of the summit. Youll recognize it by the saddle between two knolls, with the summit to the right. Kinangop, the second highest peak on the Aberdares, can easily be accessed from this point.

The descent is just as trying as the ascent, taking a big toll on the knees, and another 3 to 4 hours to the Forest station and then celebrate the successful Hiking as you look forward in attempt Mount Kenya or Kilimanjaro