Rurimeria Day Hike is located at Geta Shopping Center, Nyandarua County, where the trail begins with a gentle dash before hitting a notoriously steep ascent to the first false summit. A false summit means that after the effort and time taken to complete a short distance that appears way longer, you are exhausted and convinced that this could be the summit. But no. Completing that summit becomes the start of another summit.
The journey to the first summit begins gently through a short vegetation cover that, once completed, the rest of the journey gets steep through a rocky region to the moorlands. Beautiful rock and landscape views start popping close to the first false summit, and you can’t help but immerse in the views. This is where it becomes easy to hand the closest hiker your phone to capture you. At the top of the first peak (they call it the “first pic”), the view of the second peak hits you, and at that breathtaking moment, you could be discouraged by the trail ahead.
The second peak is steep, though gentler than the first peak. There is a reduced difficulty as you go up. Up the second peak is another view, encouraging yet discouraging. You have to cover another peak to get to the moorlands, where difficulty ends, and altitude effects could become severe. At the moorlands, you are rejuvenated to complete since the summit is visible.
Two last stretches will test your will to summit. The second last one at the moorlands is gentler. The stretch to the tip of the peak is steep and gets challenging when descending. The reward is sitting atop 3860m after beating false peaks and a total of 7km to the summit of the third-highest peak in Aberdares.
Rurimeria Upsweep Stats
Approximate Distance: 18km
Approximate Time: 9 Hours
Maximum Elevation: 3860m (At Rurimeria Summit)
Difficulty: You should have done several high-altitude hikes of at least 14km
What to Wear During the Hike
- Fleece Marvin/hat or a baseball cap.
- Proper hiking clothes (polyester t-shirt, wind jacket, hiking pants, fleece jacket).
- Comfortable hiking boots (should be at least one size bigger than your standard shoe size).
- Sunscreen.
In Your Backpack, Have
- At least 2 liters of water (use a water bladder or a reusable bottle). Disposable plastic bottles are not allowed inside parks.
- Snacks such as biscuits, nuts, fruits, crisps, etc.
- A hiking pole.
- A raincoat/poncho.
It is Also Advisable to Have
- A set of clothes to change into after the hike (sometimes, the good hiking gear also fails, and weather changes are unexpected).
See more details on how to prepare for this hike and the steps to take after the hike to ease the after-hike effects here.
Ticket & Booking Rurimeria Upsweep
The Ticket is KES 4200. Reserve a slot by paying at least Kes.2500 using MPesa and clear the balance before departure. Hikers Arena ticket Cancellation and refund policy applies.
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- Paybill No: 522533
- Account No: 7848929
See the ticket inclusions & definitions here.
Trip Itinerary
Meeting point: Opposite outside International House Kencom (Nairobi CBD)
- 3.15 am: Boarding opens
- 3.25 am: Departure for Geta Bushi (The departure time is strict)
- 7.00 am: Arrival at Geta Bushi forest Gate & registrations
- 7.20 am: Hike starts
- 1.00 pm: Turn-back time
- 6.45 pm: Departure for Nairobi
N/B: The departure time back to Nairobi is subject to the day’s team and could be earlier or later than estimated.
Inquiries and Updates
For inquiries and updates, click here. We also recommend you join the Hikers Arena Community Whatsapp group (Click here to join) to keep up to date with our activities and upcoming events.
