Kenya & Tanzania hiking itinerary

Nairobi to Naivasha and Hells Gate

Day 1–2 in Hell's Gate National Park

To begin with drive from Nairobi to Naivasha and Hells Gate, just a couple hours' drive.

Lake Naivasha is a huge freshwater lake famed for its birdlife and hippos while Hells Gate is a small savanna park with plentiful antelope, zebra, giraffe and baboons. The nice thing about this park is that you can walk or cycle through it (very battered bikes can be hired) which allows you to get close to wildlife without the barriers of a vehicle. If you’re a climber then you can also arrange to scale some of the rock spires within the park

I recommend you avoid visiting during weekends, when it can seem as if half of Nairobi is out here.

You’ll only want to spend a day hiking around Hell’s Gate. But you could stop on the way at the Mt Longonot which would make for another enjoyable, and scenically different, day hike.

Head west

Day 3–7 in Kakamega Forest Reserve

Then head out west to Ruma and then up to Saiwa. Saiwa itself is tiny and only takes a half day to walk around but it’s a lovely spot so you might like an extra day there. If you like hiking then I would strongly recommend a stop of a day or two at Kakamega Forest which is about halfway between Saiwa and Kisumu. It’s one of my favourite places in Kenya and offers very different wildlife and long forest hikes.

Chyulu Hills via Nairobi

Day 8–10 in Chyulu Hills National Park

Return via Nairobi to Chyulu Hills for a couple of days. Bursting up above the hot red plains of Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks, the Chyulu Hills are a little visited, little known paradise of rolling green hills and forest.

The wildlife can be a bit hit and miss but there are still plenty of grazers around plus there are opportunities to mingle with Maasai herdsmen, walk across pretty landscapes and visit lava tubes.

Into Tanzania for Mt Meru

Day 11–14 in Mt. Meru

From Chyulu Hills head down and cross the Tanzania border at the Namanga crossing, and then onto Mt Meru. Mt Meru is within the Arusha National Park, a beautiful and varied park that sees few visitors.

You’d want at least a couple of days here to hike around the mountain and surrounding craters and go out to some of the lakes. The full four day Meru trek competes with Kilimanjaro – except with fewer crowds.

Usambara Mountains

Day 15–18 in Usambara Mountains

Then travel east to the wonderful Usambara Mountains. Nestled between Kilimanjaro and the Indian Ocean, the Usambara Mountains are said to be Africa’s second most biodiverse national park. You can hike village to village here, lasting from a few days to over a week, depending on your chosen trail and pace. You’ll see tea plantations and tropical rainforests to mountain ridges with incredible panoramic views. The trails are relatively gentle, making this area accessible to most hikers.

Ngorongoro & Empakaai Crater

Day 19–21 in Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Head back west to Ngorongoro and Empakaai (which is within the Ngorongoro area) for a couple of days. Hiking is not permitted within the crater itself, due to the risk of becoming lunch for a hungry lion. But the surrounding Ngorongoro Conservation Area of rolling grasslands, dotted with Maasai homesteads and lumbering volcanic peaks, makes fabulous walking safari country.

There are no specific hiking routes here, but a good walking safari specialist will present you with options of varying distances and durations. Typically you’ll spend a few hours walking to and around the crater rim before arriving at a simple fly camp for your overnight.

Little-visited Empakaai, only 90 minutes’ drive from the over-touristed Ngorongoro Crater, is a case in point. The second-largest caldera in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Empakaai is a near-perfect circular crater with a 5-mile diameter and a depth of 1,800ft. The road along the rim offers stunning views across the Rift Valley escarpment to the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai.

But the highlight of a visit is the short, steep hike down the forested eastern wall (look out for blue monkeys and buffalos) to the crater floor, which is dominated by a green soda lake that usually hosts large flocks of flamingos.

Nairobi via Loita Hills

Day 22–25 in Loita Hills

If you have any extra time then i would suggest a few days hiking in Kenya’s fabulous - and little known - Loita Hills and forests. You can even do a multi-day hike from here right down to the border of the Masai Mara. Another option in Tanzania, and not far from the Ngorongoro, is Lake Natron and climbing the volcanic Ol Doniyo Lengai.

From here it's just a few hours' drive to Nairobi. Congratulations – you've just seen more of Tanzania and Kenya than virtually any other visitos!