Why November Is Our Favourite Month on the Aberdares

Most guidebooks tell you to hike the Aberdares in the dry months. The Aberdares are wet ten months of the year anyway, so honestly, just pick the conditions you want.

We love November. The short rains have just kicked in — usually a heavy afternoon shower, clear mornings and evenings, and the moorland glows. The waterfalls — Karuru, Chania, Magura — are at full flow. The bugs that swarm the bamboo forest in the dry months are nowhere to be found.

You also get the trails to yourself. Tour operators steer their clients to August/September, so November is quiet. We've walked from Mutubio West to Karuru without seeing another group for two days straight.

Pack for the wet — a proper rain shell, a dry-bag for your sleeping kit, and waterproof boots. Don't bother with cotton. Embrace the mud. Take an extra pair of camp shoes for the evenings.