The ground on your left simply stops.
The road out of Nairobi climbs steadily for an hour and then, without much warning, arrives at the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley. Kijabe Hill sits right on that edge at roughly 2,600 metres above sea level, with about 600 metres of vertical air between the launch and the valley floor.
It is the oldest and most iconic flying site in Kenya, opened up by pilots in the 1990s and still the reference point for the whole country. Three take-offs on the summit cover a range of wind directions, and on a clear morning Mount Longonot sits on the horizon like a drawing.
An escarpment is a thermal factory
The sun heats the valley floor, the warm air runs up against the wall, and it has nowhere to go but up. That is the entire reason Kijabe flies.
Early morning
Smooth, glassy air with almost no texture. The best window for nervous first-timers and for photography, and the most reliable slot on the calendar.
Mid-morning
The thermals switch on. The air becomes textured and interesting, climbs start working, and flight times stretch out. This is the classic Kijabe window.
Early afternoon
Strongest lift of the day and the widest cross-country potential. Also the sharpest air — flown by choice, not by default, and always with a conservative call.
Golden hour
The day settles again into buoyant, warm-lit air. Long smooth glides, spectacular light, and the slot that fills up first every single week.
Kenya flies all year. It just does not fly the same way.
December – March
Hot, dry and strong. High cloudbase, well-organised thermals and the best cross-country window of the year. Book early.
April – May
The quietest window. Low cloudbase and building afternoons, but early mornings still deliver good, calm flights.
June – September
Gentler thermals and softer air. Excellent for first tandem flights and for students working through a course.
October – November
Mixed and underrated. Washed air between systems, dramatic cloudscapes and the most photogenic flying of the year.
Nairobi to the launch
Out along the old Naivasha road
Head north-west out of Nairobi. The road climbs steadily through Limuru and the temperature drops noticeably as you gain altitude.
The escarpment viewpoint
Somewhere past Kikuyu the valley opens up on your left. Most people stop here on the way. It is worth the ten minutes.
Up to Kijabe town
A turn off the main road and a climb up through Kijabe itself. Ordinary saloon cars manage it fine in dry weather.
The summit take-off
The last stretch to the launch is rough. We can arrange a transfer from Kijabe town, and we shuttle you back up from the landing field afterwards.
Launch, landing zone and the drive
Click the map to enable zooming. The dashed line is roughly the glide from the summit take-off to the landing field on the valley floor.
