Looking for a challenging hiking trail to detox from the city life? Eburu forest is the place to be. Eburu forest is an indigenous forest located in Gilgil, Nakuru county. It is home to mountain bongo, indigenous trees, herbs, birds, butterflies and wild animals like buffaloes and antelopes. Because of its beautiful nature, Eburu forest has the most therapeutic hiking trails in Kenya.

Eburu forest has 2 summits, the east and the west summit. The east summit has the shortest hiking trail of 12 KMs, it’s ideal to anyone who wants to learn more about Eburu’s ecosystem. The west summit has the longest hiking trail of 22KMs, it’s ideal to hikers and anyone looking for adventure. It’s also very scenic and at the summit you will be rewarded with the beautiful views of Lake Nakuru, Lake Elementaita, Lake Naivasha and its surroundings. An additional bonus of visiting Eburu forest is you get to enjoy a natural sauna.

The hike started at 6AM when we left for Eburu forest from Nairobi, the journey took 4 hours. Ideally the journey should be 2-3 hrs max, ours took an extra 1 hour because we missed a turn to Eburu town. Do you know there a town called Kasarani in Gilgil? Yes there is (i didn’t know that) it was our indicator that we were lost. Bytheway at Kasarani you will get fresh and delicious fish, a good after-hike activity o enjoy. At Eburu town you will see many metallic drums lying along the road, locals use them to collect steam, cool it then get water for domestic use. Eburu has a lot of spots with steam coming from the ground, in the forest their a spot used a sauna. As hiker it’s a must for you to pass by the sauna in the forest. It will be a grave offense for you not to.

The ascend to the West summit started at 10AM, being an indigenous forest we were treated to nature’s beauty. To me this is the place i needed to be, to detox and rejuvenate my inner self. The hike paths are marked except for the tall grass section where it difficult to identify the designated path, because of this and the presence of wild animals you will need a guide throughout the hike. Throughout the hike you’ll be treated to the forest beautiful trails, breathing views of it’s surroundings and if you’re keen you’ll also see Columbus monkeys and other wild animals. Despite it being scenic the trail has a gradual slope, there were sections that make me question my sanity; how can i wake up early in the morning only for me to go and suffer in the middle of a forest. Thanks to being surrounded by great hikers and listening to Mugithi songs😂 i was able to overcome the challenge. Through the ups and downs (if you don’t gerrit, forget about it) we summited, at the summit we had our lunch and enjoyed being on top of Nakuru county. To the extra peeps you can set up a picnic and pop champagne at the summit.

We had a blissful descend as it didn’t rain, we were grateful for the drizzle and not the predicted downfall. If it had rained it could have been a sliding down challenge amongest ourselves. At the end of the hike we got to enjoy the sauna then called it a day.

Hike summary:

• Distance: 22KMs
• Difficulty: Moderate to difficult (depends on your fitness level)
• Duration: 5 – 7 hr
• Terrain: gradual slope
• Trail: scenic, bushy, marked paths & challenging
• Weather conditions: chilly and rainy with little of sunshine

What to carry:

• Drinking water at least 1.5L
• Snacks & a drink
• Extra change of clothes
• A hiking pole for support
• An adventurous spirit

What to wear:

• A long sleeved top & trouser
• Warm clothes
• Well gripped shoes
• Waterproof gear
• Sunscreen

This was a beautiful hike and I’ll definitely do it again. Thank you for reading till the end, your and comment will be high appreciated. See you on the next hike🤗.