Journal · Published
Tigoni has no mountain to climb and no single famous trail. What it has instead is a dense web of farm tracks, tea-field footpaths and forest lanes on rolling hills at over 2,000 metres. Hiking here is less about a summit and more about covering ground through some of the greenest country near Nairobi.
What the trails are like
Most walking in Tigoni is on three kinds of path. Wide red-earth farm tracks link the tea estates and villages. Narrow footpaths cut between the rows of tea, used by pickers and farm workers. And shaded lanes run through eucalyptus, cypress and patches of indigenous forest along the valley bottoms.
The hills are rolling rather than steep, but they add up: a few hours of walking involves plenty of short climbs and descents.
Through the tea
Walking between the rows is the signature Tigoni experience. The footpaths give you views across whole hillsides of tea, and you will often pass pickers working the fields. Stay on the paths, do not pick leaves, and ask before taking photos of people.
Mist, mud and the best months to walk
January to March is usually dry and clear, with good views. June to August brings cool, misty mornings, which are beautiful in the forest sections but call for a warm layer. The long rains (March to May) and short rains (October to December) turn the red-earth tracks muddy and slippery, so walks are shorter and slower.
Whatever the month, mornings tend to be clearer than afternoons, when cloud often builds.
Trail running in Tigoni
The terrain is good enough that Tigoni has hosted organised trail runs on the tea-estate tracks, including the Tigoni Trail Run, held in 2015 and 2016. If you run, a guided route lets you use the same kind of tracks without getting lost.
Why go with a guide
Many of the best paths cross private farms and estates, and they are not signposted. A local guide knows which paths are open, which are passable after rain, and how to link them into a loop that fits your time and fitness. Our hiking tours start at KSh 3,000 per person for Kenyan citizens.
Other walks near Tigoni
- Brackenhurst: walking trails through replanted indigenous forest on the edge of Tigoni.
- Kiambethu Tea Farm: a short walk through the farm's indigenous forest is part of its pre-booked tours.
- Kereita Forest: in the southern Aberdares, with guided forest walks and a zip-line course of about 2.2 km.
What to bring
- Shoes or boots with good grip.
- A rain jacket and a warm layer.
- Water and a snack.
- Sunscreen and a hat; the sun is strong at altitude even when it feels cool.
