Things to do in Eldoret
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Eldoret
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Driest and best overall, with the clearest escarpment views and the busiest Iten training season.
Long rains peak, dirt routes turn muddy, and the Eldoret City Marathon usually runs in April.
Cool, grey and still wet, with July and August among the wettest months and the fewest sunshine hours.
Rain eases in September, then short rains return around October and November between improving views.
Drying out with clearing skies, festive season, and forest roads that have had time to dry.
What's on
- Eldoret City Marathon Late April, usually the last Sunday
The city's own marathon founded by Moses Tanui, one of Kenya's richest domestic races.
Best things to do in Eldoret
High Altitude Training Centre
Train at 2,400 m where champions train, with track, gym, pool, coaches and pacers open to recreational runners.
Eldoret City Marathon
The city's own April marathon, one of Kenya's richest domestic races and its best spectator morning.
Kipchoge Keino Stadium
The stadium named for Kipchoge Keino, Eldoret's sporting landmark, now being rebuilt toward AFCON 2027.
Eldoret Arboretum
A quiet, tree filled park on the north side of the city, the easiest green hour inside Eldoret itself.
Rupa's Mall
Eldoret's main modern mall, a logistics base and a window on contemporary middle class city life.
Where to stay in Eldoret
Elgon View
quiet, green, upmarket base
A leafy suburb with the Boma Inn's gardens, pool and spa, minutes from the centre without its noise.
Rupa's Mall and Malaba Road
practical modern base and arrivals
The mall corridor with the city's top hotel, its main cafe chain branch, and the best budget hotel nearby.
Kaptagat Road
families, groups and green space
Out of centre on the forest road, with a family resort in town and a river campsite further out.
Iten
training blocks and the escarpment
A separate stay 36 km away at 2,400 m, for the training centre, the viewpoint and valley views.
Think twice about
- Kerio Valley floor and lower valley roads after dark
Documented banditry and cattle rustling with ongoing security operations. Go in daylight only, with a local guide and same week local advice.
- Eldoret central business district on foot after dark
Crowded, uneven and poorly lit in places with heavy traffic by day. Sleep in the suburbs and take a taxi at night.
Best restaurants in Eldoret
Columbus Cafe Eldoret
The highest rated restaurant in Eldoret, the one nicer meal to have if you have only one.
Sunjeel Food Palace
Eldoret's long standing Indian favourite, known for curries, naan and generous portions.
Java House
Kenya's dominant cafe chain at Rupa's Mall, the safest pick for breakfast or a working lunch.
The Well Irish Pub & Restaurant
The city's long standing Irish pub, the visitor default for a pub meal, sports and company.
Siam Restaurant
Eldoret's long running Chinese restaurant, known for large portions and a personal owner welcome.
Bakers Point
A bakery cafe for croissants, pies, cakes and pizza, the best evidenced budget eat in the city.
Outdoor things to do in Eldoret
Iten Viewpoint
A roadside viewpoint dropping about 1,000 m into the Kerio Valley, best in clear morning light.
Chepkiit Waterfalls
A Sosiani River waterfall reached by a rocky track and a scramble, with viewpoints above the falls.
Kaptagat Forest
Cool forest roads at altitude where Eliud Kipchoge and Kenya's marathon royalty do their long runs.
Saiwa Swamp National Park
Kenya's smallest, walk only national park, with boardwalks and platforms for the rare sitatunga.
Lake Kamnarok National Reserve
A seasonal oxbow lake on the Kerio Valley floor, reviving after near loss, for specialist guided visits.
Eldoret Golf Club
A long established club course in green grounds, Eldoret's one traditional upmarket outdoor day.
Best hotels in Eldoret
Eka Hotel Eldoret
The city's best regarded modern hotel, in Rupa's Mall, and the top of Eldoret's honest local ceiling.
Boma Inn Eldoret
A calm, garden Red Cross hotel in Elgon View with pool and spa, whose profits fund humanitarian work.
Poa Place Resort
A garden resort with pool and play areas at Kaptagat Junction, Eldoret's family weekend base.
Kerio View
A small escarpment lodge outside Iten built around the Kerio Valley view 1,000 m below.
Comfy Inn Eldoret
The best evidenced budget hotel in the city, clean and well reviewed from about US$21 a night.
Naiberi River Campsite and Resort
A riverine campsite and resort on the Kaptagat road, the cheap outdoorsy alternative to a city hotel.
Is Eldoret expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | KES 4,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | KES 12,000 a person |
| Splurge | KES 25,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- High Altitude Training Centre: weeks ahead
- Eldoret City Marathon: weeks ahead
- Lake Kamnarok National Reserve: a few days ahead
- Eldoret Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Book a High Altitude Training Centre stay or coached camp weeks ahead in the January to March peak.
- Book hotels ahead around the April Eldoret City Marathon and national holidays.
- Arrange a car and driver for Kerio Valley and Saiwa Swamp days through your hotel a day or two ahead.
Is Eldoret safe?
- The restricted areas are on the Somalia border, in the north east and on parts of the coast, far from Eldoret. Eldoret and Iten are not restricted areas.
- Do not drive lower Kerio Valley roads at night; check the local security picture in Iten on the day.
- At altitude, run easy for three to four days, drink extra water, and use strong sun protection even on cool days.
Eldoret travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Eldoret is not a safari base; the famous reserves are hours away.
- Dirt training roads turn to mud in the April to August rains.
- Sea level fitness does not transfer in your first week at 2,100 to 2,400 m.
Getting around Eldoret: public transport and more
- Fly Nairobi to Eldoret International Airport (EDL) to save a day over the roughly 300 km road journey.
- Iten is about 36 km by road from Eldoret; arrange a taxi or matatu and agree the return in advance.
- Use Bolt or hotel arranged taxis in town, and boda boda only with a helmet for short trips.
Who Eldoret suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Eldoret your trip
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