Karura Forest
Karura is a vast urban forest threaded with well-marked walking and cycling trails, a waterfall, caves and shaded picnic clearings. The Limuru Road gate opens onto the waterfall, the River Café and a picnic area with a wooden play area, while the Sigiria gate at the end of Thigiri Lane has a children's obstacle course, a trampoline and its own café. It's safe, gated and family-friendly, with bikes for hire — the easiest way to give city kids a proper dose of nature without leaving Nairobi.
Good to know: Pick your gate to suit the kids: Limuru Road for the waterfall, picnic lawns and wooden play area; Sigiria for the obstacle course.
Karura Forest prices
Checked 6 Oct 2026 against Kenya Forest Service fee notice (Friends of Karura).
| Kenyan citizen, child under 13 | KES 58 |
| Kenyan citizen, adult | KES 116 |
| Kenya & EAC resident, child / adult | KES 116 / 232 |
| Non-resident, child / adult | KES 348 / 696 |
| Car parking, per day | KES 232 |
Fees in effect since 29 Aug 2025. Paid by M-Pesa through eCitizen, which adds a small convenience fee. Tickets are valid for the day of issue only.
How a family visit works
- 1Choose the gate at home, not in the car. Limuru Road: waterfall, caves, River Café, picnic lawns and the wooden play area. Sigiria at the end of Thigiri Lane: children's obstacle course, trampoline and its own café.
- 2Pay at the Friends of Karura kiosk and take a trail map. The forest is big; wandering without a plan is how you get a tired five-year-old a kilometre from the playground.
- 3At Limuru, walk to the waterfall and caves first, then picnic and dump them on the wooden play. At Sigiria, let them wreck themselves on the obstacle course before you attempt a longer trail.
- 4Hire bikes only if they will actually ride a few kilometres. A 200-metre wobble next to the café is not worth the queue.
What kids actually do here
- Walk or cycle marked trails through a gated urban forest
- Scramble the short path to the waterfall and caves (Limuru Road gate)
- Climb the wooden play area or the Sigiria obstacle course — pick the gate that matches the kids you brought
- Bounce on the Sigiria trampoline if that is why you chose that entrance
- Picnic on the lawns without leaving Nairobi
- Spot monkeys and birds if you slow down off the playground
Before you go
Let your child save up for Karura Forest
Prices here start at KES 58 (see the table above). In Tija, kids earn coins for chores you set and put them toward a goal they pick, like this outing, then watch it fill up as the chores get done.
Free to download on Android. On a computer, Google Play can send it straight to your phone.
What to pack
- Closed shoes that can take mud after rain
- A picnic unless you have budgeted for the café at your chosen gate
- Water and sunhats for the more open stretches
- A lock or a plan if you hire bikes and stop at the waterfall
Parent questions
- Which gate should we use with a toddler and an eight-year-old?
- Limuru Road if you want the waterfall, lawns and wooden play in one loop. Sigiria if the eight-year-old will only be happy on the obstacle course. You cannot easily hop between gates on foot with small kids.
- Is it safe to let them get ahead on the path?
- It is gated and patrolled, which is why Nairobi families use it. Still agree a junction to wait at. Entry is under KES 500; confirm the day's resident rate at the kiosk. Open daily — check friendsofkarura.org if you need trail closures after heavy rain.
Hours, tickets and activity rules change. Confirm the current details on the official site or at the gate before you travel.
Next outing, let them chip in
Set a few chores in Tija, your kids earn coins, and the coins go into a savings goal for the next day out. Built for Kenyan families, priced in shillings.
More for families: Holiday outing planner · Savings Challenge · Parent guides · Tija for Schools
