My challenge in a nutshell
| Type: | Long-distance day hike |
| Location: | Karura Forest, Nairobi, Kenya |
| Start/Finish: | Kiambu Road Gate C (1670 m) |
| Distance: | 50.2 km |
| Walking time: | 8 hr 53 min |
| Total time: | 9 hr 49 min |
| Rest stops: | 3 |
| Average pace: | 5.7 km/hr (10.6 min/km) |
| Elevation gain: | 838 m |
| Elevation range: | 1640–1708 m |
| Difficulty: | Very strenuous |
Karura Forest
Karura Forest is one of Nairobi’s great urban refuges. Covering 1,040 hectares (2,570 acres), it stretches roughly 3.5 km by 2.5 km and ranks among the largest protected city forests in the world. The forest combines indigenous woodland, grassland, rivers, waterfalls, caves, and more than 50 km of marked trails.
In the late 1990s, Karura was nearly lost to illegal land grabbing and commercial development. Professor Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement led a public campaign to stop the destruction, facing violent resistance but refusing to back down. Their efforts secured Karura as public land and set the foundation for what it is now.
Today, Karura is a safe, well‑maintained space for walking, running, cycling, and reconnecting with nature – an ecological refuge in the city and a living legacy of environmental protection and civic action.
The Karura Forest 50 KM Challenge
I had walked almost every trail in Karura, and at some point an idea formed: what if I walked the entire forest in a single day? Fifty kilometres felt like a memorable number – long, but achievable within about 10 hours.
Designing the route turned out to be its own challenge. I wanted to link as many trails as possible with minimal repetition, ideally avoiding walking the same path in the same direction.
I used gpx.studio (a web app for route planning) along with my own GPX files from previous walks covering trails not shown on online maps. After countless trial-and-error iterations, I finally settled on a route.
The final design splits the route into four segments of similar lengths (15 km, 12.5 km, 12.5 km, 10 km), each beginning and ending at Kiambu Road Gate C. That structure creates three natural rest points for food, water, or a quick stop at the café near the gate.
One advantage of this gate, compared to the main entrance at Limuru Gate A, is the number of trails branching from the car park, allowing each segment to start and finish on different paths.
If completing 50 km in one day feels like too much, the four-segment structure makes it possible to spread the challenge over two, three, or even four days.
But planning the route was only half the story. The real challenge was walking it – and that took two attempts.
My first attempt
The first attempt was always going to be tough. It had rained almost daily for three weeks, and Karura’s clay-heavy soil becomes incredibly sticky when wet. It clings to shoes, adds weight, and makes every step slower and more tiring.
The forecast suggested light afternoon rain, so I started early, hoping to finish before it arrived. Six hours in, the rain came early and hard. An already difficult surface turned into a slippery mess.
I pushed on for another hour, mostly because I needed to get back to the car park, then called it a day after 36 km and 7 hours. Stopping so close to the finish was disappointing, but the conditions made continuing pointless.
Success on my second attempt
Nine days later, I tried again. Three sunny days beforehand meant the trails had mostly dried.
Karura Forest opens at 6 AM every day. I set off at 6:28 AM, shortly after sunrise. Walking on firm ground made an immediate difference – faster, easier, and far more enjoyable. The first 15 km took just over two and a half hours.
I had to make small route adjustments in the second and third segments because one of the paths was temporarily closed for construction. The detours added roughly 1 km to each of those segments and shortened the final segment by 2 km, with minimal change to the overall distance.
Here’s the full breakdown:
Segment 1: 14.9 km, 2 hr 35 min walking, 16 min rest
Segment 2: 13.7 km, 2 hr 26 min walking, 25 min lunch
Segment 3: 13.4 km, 2 hr 22 min walking, 15 min rest
Segment 4: 8.2 km, 1 hr 30 min
Out of the full 50.2 km, only 3.4 km were repeated sections (same path, same direction). Given the number of loops needed to fit a 50 km route into a 3.5 km by 2.5 km forest, less than 7% repetition felt like a win.
Final thoughts on the challenge
What began as a simple idea for a long-distance walking challenge turned into an enjoyable day in nature. Karura Forest is one of Nairobi’s real gems, and spending nearly 10 hours weaving through its trails gives you a deeper appreciation of its scale and diversity.
The route is mostly flat, but walking for almost nine hours at a brisk pace takes its toll. The nice thing about this challenge is its flexibility: you can complete it in one day or break it into stages over two, three, or four days.
If you’re thinking about attempting the challenge yourself, feel free to get in touch – I’m happy to share the route, the GPX files, or a few tips from the day.