Fourteen Falls

Fourteen Falls is not tall, around twenty-seven metres, but it is wide: the Athi river spreads across a rock shelf and drops in a broad ragged curtain that splits into many separate streams at low water, which is where the name comes from. In full flow after the rains the channels merge into a single thundering sheet and the spray reaches the viewing area. Ol Donyo Sabuk mountain rises behind, and the two are usually visited together as an easy day out from Nairobi. The site has long had a reputation for two problems: pollution, since the Athi carries industrial and domestic waste from Nairobi upstream and the water is visibly dirty, and pushy guides at the entrance. Local divers sometimes offer to leap from the rocks for tips, which has caused deaths.

What you actually see

• The wide curtain - the river dropping across a broad rock shelf.
• The channel effect - many separate streams at low water.
• Ol Donyo Sabuk - the mountain rising behind the falls.
• The riverside path - viewing points along the bank.

When to go

After the rains, April to June or November, for the fullest flow; in dry months the falls thin considerably. Weekdays are much quieter than weekends. Mornings are best for both light and crowds.

Honest expectations

The water is polluted, with visible waste and foam at times, so this is a place to look at rather than enter. Guides and touts at the entrance are persistent and prices should be agreed up front. Do not encourage the cliff jumpers; people have died. The site is littered in places.

Nearby

Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park is adjacent; Thika is half an hour away.