Thomson Falls (Thomson's Falls or Nyahururu)

Thomson Falls (or Thomson's Falls; also known as Nyahururu) is the name of both the neighboring town as well as the waterfall. This was the only waterfall we saw in

The waterfall is said to plunge some 72m on the Ewaso Narok River on the far northern end of the Aberdare Ranges. We were able to view this waterfall from the multitude of viewing areas along the rim of the gorge. Accompanying the overlooks were lots of curio shops as well as lots of locals loitering around looking to either have their picture taken with you (for a fee) or try to steer you into their affiliated curio shop.

An interesting aspect about this waterfall is that it's very close to the equator. In fact, of all the waterfalls we've seen around the world, this maybe the closest one to the equator that we've been to! But before you associate this falls with steamy jungles, realize that Nyahururu is at 2360m so it's not nearly as hot and humid as you'd think. In fact, we saw many Kenyan marathoners in long-sleeved Maasai red jackets training here (possibly for the 2008 Olympics in China) taking advantage of the high altitude.

There was a 20-minute or so walking path to the base of Thomson Falls. However, a sign warned us of muggings and theft and recommended that we should hire a guide for safety. Yet as much as I really wanted to do it, we decided against going because my nausea from food poisoning really made me miserable and unfit to partake in such an activity. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

So we had to content ourselves with just enjoying the falls from the top.

Directions: We came to this waterfall from Mt Kenya. The drive was a little over two hours to the west.

Since we were driven here (and I couldn't pay attention to our surroundings thanks to my food poisoning), I can't provide any additional driving details. Besides, it's not common for tourists to be self-driving in Kenya anyways.

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Angled view of the falls from a wooden platform very close to the nearby market

Last look at the falls

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Fixated on the falls

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TRIP REPORTS

• June 21, 2008

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