Ngong Hills Hike

Ngong hills is located approximately 22 kms from Nairobi. From the eastside slopes, overlooks the Nairobi National Park and off to the north, the city of Nairobi. The Ngong Hills, from the westside slopes, overlook the Great Rift Valley dropping over 1,000 m (3,281 ft) below, where Maasai villages have been developed. The peak of the Ngong Hills is at 2,460 m (8,071 ft) above sea level.

We visited the hills in one of our gym hikes, I later came to know we didn't access the Hills using the main gate, so i don't really know the entrance fees. I guess we took the long-cut which led us into passing through old colonial homes. I later came to learn that during the years of British colonial rule, the area around the Ngong Hills was a major settler farming region, and many traditional colonial houses are still seen in the area.

Although i would't recommend using these different access points to the hills, unless you are accompanied by locals who are extremely familiar with the place, since there has been scenarios of mugging /robbery reports on the hikers. So even if you use the main gate ensure you get a tour guide to avoid such situations. Kenya Forestry Service offers such service it may come with an extra sh.1500 to pay the guide but prevention is better than cure.

Near the hills is the town of Ngong. The Ngong Hills Wind Power Station is being built on the hills, this is the first and the only operational wind power station in the country. It is actually the sight you get once you get to the top of the hills. We did fun activities on the top : we divided into groups and each group was supposed to make sure they have touched at least 7 windmills. No group was to touch the same one twice. Proof of this was once you touch the mills you take a selfie with the Kenya Power number (each mill has its own unique number). Trust me this brought up the competition in everyone.To say the least we had a great time, later in the day we made a little picnic and headed back home.