Most first-timers pack too much of the wrong thing then borrow the right thing on the trail. Here is the honest list.
Every hike we run has at least one person carrying a full suitcase and one person carrying nothing at all. Both of them suffer. Here is what two years of Saturday mornings has taught us about the middle ground.
Footwear decides your day
More than anything else on this list. Trail shoes with real grip beat expensive boots you have never worn before. Volleys and fashion sneakers are how people slide down the Longonot ash on the way back. Break new shoes in on a short walk first.
Two litres of water, minimum
Kenyan altitude dehydrates you quietly. On Ngong Hills there is nowhere to refill along the ridge. On Longonot there is nothing on the crater loop at all. Carry it up or go without it.
Layers, not one warm thing
Morning at the Elephant Hill trailhead is genuinely cold, midday is hot then the summit is cold again. A t-shirt, a fleece and a light waterproof handles all three. One heavy jacket handles none of them.
The things people forget
Sunscreen at altitude, a hat, a torch for early starts, cash for the gate where the card machine is down, a plastic bag for your own rubbish. Snacks that survive being sat on.
What you can leave behind
Jeans, a laptop bag, three changes of clothes for a day hike, glass bottles, speakers. Somebody always brings a speaker.
Want to walk it with us?
We run these routes most weekends. Pick a date and we will handle transport, entry fees and the guide.
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