Sleeping Warrior
A hill shaped like a sleeping warrior, high above a Rift Valley lake.
- Date
- Saturday, 28 November 2026
Destination photo: Katie Hunt (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons
- 2,127 m
- Top of the Sleeping Warrior
- ~140 km
- From Nairobi
- Day trip
- Back the same evening
The destination
The warrior of the Rift
Soysambu Conservancy, Lake Elmenteita
Look across Lake Elmenteita from the Nairobi–Nakuru highway and you'll see him: a long ridge with a forehead, a nose and a chin, like a warrior lying on his back. That's the Sleeping Warrior, a volcanic hill in Soysambu Conservancy, about 140 km from Nairobi.
The climb is short but steep in places, over rough volcanic ground. From the top the whole Rift Valley floor opens up — the soda lake below, the old craters around it, and the escarpments on either side.
We close out November on the warrior's back on Saturday 28 November.
Field notes
Things worth knowing before you go
- 01
Why the name
Seen from the lake shore, the hill's outline looks like a Maasai warrior lying asleep on his back.
- 02
A World Heritage lake
Lake Elmenteita is one of three Rift Valley lakes listed together by UNESCO as the Kenya Lake System, alongside Nakuru and Bogoria.
- 03
Inside a conservancy
The hill sits in Soysambu Conservancy, a working ranch and wildlife area beside the lake. Keep an eye out for animals on the way.
Pack list
What to bring
It's hot and exposed on the ridge, so sun protection and plenty of water matter more than warm layers.
Bring
- Comfortable hiking shoes with good grip
- 2–3 litres of water
- Packed lunch and snacks
- Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen — there is little shade
- Light rain jacket
- National ID