Kenya
Kerio Valley
Paragliders step off a 1,500-metre escarpment into thermals that sweep Kenya's most dramatic valley floor.
The escarpment rim drops away and there is nothing but air. Paragliders step off the edge and catch thermals that carry them over a valley floor 1,500 metres below, the patchwork of irrigated farmland shrinking to miniature. Kenya's Kerio Valley in Elgeyo-Marakwet is vertigo made voluntary.
Kerio Valley is one of Kenya's primary paragliding launch sites. The escarpment creates consistent thermal conditions from September to March, with flights regularly lasting three to four hours on cross-country routes. The gorge itself is Kenya's deepest inland gorge — 800 metres deep, carved by the Kerio River over millions of years through ancient gneiss and schist rock. The Marakwet community's irrigation furrows, hand-cut into the valley walls over centuries, are a UNESCO-nominated traditional water management system still in active use today. Pilots launch from the escarpment rim at Iten — within minutes of leaving their vehicles, visitors can watch paragliders thermalling above the valley floor far below.
Solo
Step off the escarpment on a tandem flight and spend hours riding thermals above one of Kenya's most dramatic landscapes. The solitude at 3,000 metres is absolute.
Couple
The combination of dramatic escarpment views, Pokot honey stops, and the thrill of paragliding makes Kerio Valley an unexpected romantic adventure far from Kenya's coast and safari circuits.
Friends
Kerio Valley is built for group adrenaline. Launch together, fly in formation above the gorge, and trade stories over roasted goat ribs at the escarpment-rim road stops afterwards.
- Kerio Valley is one of Kenya's four primary paragliding launch sites — the escarpment creates consistent thermal conditions from September to March, with flights regularly lasting 3–4 hours on cross-country routes.
- The Kerio Valley Gorge is Kenya's deepest inland gorge — 800 metres deep, carved by the Kerio River over millions of years through ancient gneiss and schist rock.
- The Marakwet community's irrigation furrows, hand-cut into the valley walls over centuries, are a UNESCO-nominated traditional water management system still in active use today.
- Paragliders launch from the escarpment rim at Iten — within minutes of leaving their cars, visitors can watch pilots thermalling above a valley floor 1,500 metres below.
Pokot honey harvested from cliffside hives is sold warm at Rimoi junction.
Roasted goat ribs rubbed with local herbs are served at road stops along the escarpment rim.
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