Here is a list of the best places to cycle around Nairobi. With a growing cycling community in Nairobi, cycling is becoming a popular way to work out and make new friends. Here are the best and most scenic places to cycle in and around the city.
Best Places To Cycle Around Nairobi
1. Misitu Raha (Achi’s Ranch), Karen
Achi’s Ranch is located in Karen, Nairobi. It’s open every day. Achi’s Ranch is a scenic spot that offers horse riding, quad biking, cycling, nature walks, and camping, among other activities.
Here you can come with your bike or hire a bike at Achi’s Ranch and pay Kshs 500 entrance fees then you can cycle for the whole day if you want.
Contact: 0726 253 328
2. Karura Forest
The Karura Forest is an urban upland forest on the outskirts of Nairobi. Karura Forest offers clean, quiet, and well-maintained cycling trails. You pay an entrance fee of Kshs 100 for adults and Kshs 40 for children to gain access to the forest. Once inside it will cost you Kshs500 to hire a sturdy multi-speed trail bike to use on the designated forest trails for 2 hours or you can come with your bike to enjoy miles and miles of well-signposted routes for cyclists of all abilities.
In case you need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city you can spice up your cycling experience by checking out the Mau Mau Caves, where Kenyan freedom fighters hid from colonialists before independence, or explore the waterfall and reconnect with nature.
Contact: 0725 939 093
3. Kereita Forest
Kereita Forest is located southernmost end of the Aberdare Range. The forest provides an array of cycling trails for all cycling abilities; from easy 5 km loops to the more technical 15 km loops featuring steep ascents and single tracks. The single tracks will heighten your senses and adrenaline as you wind your way through the dense tropical forests.
It will cost you Kshs 1,000 for 1 hour or Kshs 2,000 for 4 hours to rent a bike at Kereita Forest. You can as well ride your bike for Kshs 1,000. Renting E-Bikes at the forest costs Kshs 1,500 for 1 hour and Kshs 3,000 for 4 hours.
The Kenya Forest Service charges entry fees of Kshs 200 to get access to Kereita Forest
Contact: 0711 112 233
4. Tea Farms of Kiambu and Tigoni
There are many different cycling routes in Limuru, offering not only panoramic views of the Tea farms but also some of the most adventurous cycling trails in the country. A mix of gravel roads and asphalt roads with very low traffic. Some of the tea estates restrict access but may respond to a polite request to pass through.
5. Hell’s Gate National Park
Hell’s Gate National Park lies south of Lake Naivasha in Kenya, northwest of Nairobi. There are bikes for hire at the gate for Kshs 500. In the event you bring your bike from outside a fee of Kshs 215 is charged. You get an opportunity to test your fitness level on the trails that cover 15 to 40 km and feature gorgeous water-eroded gorges, towering cliffs, majestic rock formations, dormant volcanoes, and the occasional appearance of local wildlife.
On the buffalo cycling circuit visitors get a peek at the stunning Lake Naivasha below, and both Mount Longonot and Mount Suswa to the east. The entrance fee to Hell’s Gate National Park is Kshs 300 for adults and Kshs 215 for children.
Contact: +254 20 2433037
6. Ngong Hills
Just 25 minutes drive from the city, Ngong Hills has many dirt roads, tarmac roads, a few single tracks, moderate climbs, and accessible trails, and is a perfect experience for a keen cyclist. From these hills, The Nairobi National Park is visible to the east, the city of Nairobi to the north, and the expanse of the Great Rift Valley to the West.
The forest is managed by the Kenya Forest Service you have to pay entry fees of Kshs 232 for adults and Kshs 58 for children at the gate. If you have your bike cycling is Kshs 116.
Contact: 0729 476 072
7. The Oloolua Nature Trail
The 5km Oloolua Nature Trail can be found in the upmarket suburb of Karen, where 250 hectares of the indigenous tropical dry Oloolua forest stands. The trail ambles through thick forest vines and undergrowth below giant indigenous trees and bushes. In some places, it follows the course of the Mbagathi River that cuts through the forest.
It is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm. The trail entry charges are Kshs 200 for adults and Kshs100 for children.
Contact: 0720 650 869
