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Karen Blixen & Ngong Hills Trek

Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi - Karen Blixen Museum - Ngong Hills - Nairobi

Depart your hotel at 09:00 and head south to the leafy suburb of Karen (named after Karen Blixen). To have a greater context for the day, and Karen’s life, we visit her house and farm, which is now a museum. From here we continue south around 20km southwest of Nairobi centre to the Ngong Hills. Views of these hills were loved by Karen, and are now the burial grounds for Karen’s lover Denys Finch-Hatton. After a walk across the hills and picnic lunch, we return to Nairobi around 17:00.

The Ngong Hills are very steep and has uneaven ground in patches. We recommend all guests take footwear for a medium grade trek. You may also require a waterproof jacket.

A very famous Dane, Karen was born in Denmark in 1885. She reached international fame for writing her life story which was published and then made into the movie Out Of Africa. She came to Africa on an arranged marriage to her cousin Baron Von Blixen. She bought Bogani House which was on 6000 acres and started a coffee farm - although she wasn’t very successful for a number of reasons, like bad soil, a locust plague, drought and finally a factory fire. So she ended up bankrupt and had to auction all her belonging, including the house, to pay her debt. After the sale of the house in 1931 she left Africa bound for Denmark where she lived until her death in 1962. The museum was bought in 1959 by the Danish government and was given as a present to Kenya on Independence Day 1963. Karen was a great painter and writer and loved hunting. At her home, which is now a museum, you can see old photographs, plus some of the original furniture, paintings, and books she wrote.

From Karen Blixen’s house there were great views to the Ngong Hills. From this small range of four peaks there are breathtaking views to Nairobi city, and across the vast plains of the Rift Valley. The word ‘ngong’ means knuckles - and from a distance the ridges of the hills do resemble knuckles of a hand. Legend has it that a giant God stumbled while digging the Rift Valley and the imprint of his fist left the four peaks of the ridge. Others believe that he fell after tripping over Mt Kilimanjaro and this is a handful of dirt that he clutched.

The hills extend around 15km north to south and have an average elevation of around 2350 metres. There is a mix of woodland, farmland, thick grasses and wildflowers. You are unlikely to come across large game while trekking, although you may see antelopes, zebra, giraffe, bushbuck and buffaloes. There are a large variety of bird species resident to the hills. And for the Danes, a stop by Denys Finch-Hatton’s final resting place is a must.

Included
Transport to/from Nairobi, guide, all entry fees, lunch.

Not included
Personal insurance, items of a personal nature, drinks.

Don’t forget to bring
Sunhat, sunscreen, drinking water, camera, binoculars, money for souvenirs and gifts, waterproof jacket, trekking shoes.

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