Manguyo Falls-Aberdares Forest

Manguyo falls is a magnificent looking waterfall deep in the Aberdares forest.

It is located in Kangema, Muranga county in a place called Tuthu.

It took us 3 hours from Nairobi where upon arrival to Tuthu village, we picked up armed guards from Kenya Forest Service station. On our trip, we had two.

We had a shuttle bus which we had to park a few meters from the starting point since the road is a little narrow.

Before proceeding to cross the fence separating Tuthu village from the forest, we were introduced to two male guides.

One was in his 70s and the other probably in his 60s. But don’t be fooled by their age. They have known and been in the forest since childhood.

The hike started at 10:30 am with a wide grass trail, then we proceeded to cross several streams before getting to a more narrow trail inside the forest.

Most streams are deep enough to get your hiking boots wet. The trail got slippery when we went deep into the bamboo area. So be sure to carry your hiking pole or ask the guide to cut some bamboo sticks for support.

The bamboo trail is very thick and at some point, we lost network coverage. The river Mathioya is seen occasionally on your right.

After about two and a half hours we had to cross a river. Most people removed their shoes since it’s deep. Some of us weren’t good at balancing on the stepping stones and got our boots wet.

The last bit towards the waterfall is very thick with bamboo and the path gets very steep in the end.

Manguyo falls is great but one thing to note is, there is nowhere suitable to sit and enjoy it. Especially with many people.

We took around 4 hours to get there and had to cross to the other side of the river and up a steep climb to find a place to sit.

The hike back was easier and took less time. Overall we took 8hrs.

Things to note

Hike difficulty: Moderately difficult

Hiking time: Approx 8hrs (Normal pace)

Important points: Wear suitable shoes. Gumboots would work way better-honestly.

-It’s muddy and slippery

-Your feet will probably get wet.

-Carry a change of clothes and footwear after the hike

-No network coverage inside the forest