Karura Caves & Waterfalls

A visit to Karura Caves & Waterfalls makes you marvel at how much peace and natural beauty can exist in the middle of a bustling metropolis. It’s around 5 kilometers outside of Nairobi’s major business center, near Karura Forest. The northern up-market neighborhoods of Muthaiga, Runda, and Gigiri, with Kiambu Road on one side and Limuru Road on the other, surround this 564-hectare forest.

Over the years, this forest has been plagued by issue after controversy, with logging and land grabs reducing it to its current size from the legally gazetted forest area of 1041 hectares in 1994. Wangari Maathai, the late Nobel Laureate, and other environmentalists battled and continue to fight the corrupt administration of former President Daniel Arap Moi to protect this forest.

How to Get There

The Karura Caves and Waterfalls are located on Kiambu Road, across from CID Headquarters and one kilometer from Muthaiga Golf Club. Alternatively, they may be reached by the Limuru Road Gate, which is close to the Belgian Embassy.

If you’re taking public transportation, take matatus 100 or 11B, 11F, or 107A to the Kiambu Rd entrance, or matatus 11B, 11F, or 107A to the Limuru Rd entrance.

Take Muranga Road until you reach the Muthaiga Roundabout, then turn left into Kiambu Road. The Karura Forest Gate turnoff is roughly 300 meters to the left of Muthaiga Golf Club. You may also take Limuru Road and enter through the gate on that road, which is direct across from the Belgian Embassy.

The trip to Karura Caves and Waterfalls is roughly 4 kilometers long and begins at the Forest Station on Kiambu Road. The Kenya Forest Service and the Friends of Karura worked together to release this family route to the public in early 2009. After a few kilometers of walking on motorable dirt roads from the Forest Gate, you’ll come across a sign pointing to a trail on the right that goes to the Caves. The route descends steeply until it reaches the Karura River, then levels off to follow the river’s course. The Karura Caves are just a few meters away.

The local people regarded these caverns as sacred, and they had a long history of being used for religious rituals. They are also said to have served as a hideout for the Mau Mau during the British colonial government’s war for independence. The stunning 50-foot Karura Waterfalls are a kilometer down the route, with water tumbling over three cliffs before settling into a leisurely flow down the river.

Karura Forest also features approximately 50 kilometers of nature paths, a bamboo forest, and a wetland with a diverse diversity of birds, in addition to the two attractions mentioned above. They make an ideal setting for nature enthusiasts.

In the jungle, an ancient chimney incinerator that was once used by the Central Bank of Kenya to trash retired cash notes still exists.

The cost for the one day Mount Kilimanjaro hike includes and excludes the following items