An adrenaline junkie paradise on the mighty Sagana river
Anton wasn’t sure when we will leave. He was coordinating the trip. First it was Wednesday, and then it changed to Friday. I was flexible, being on vacation from work.
Wednesday arrived and our other friend drove us all there. We opted to take the longer route through Sagana Town. Past the guava sellers by the roadside. The directional signage along the way was pretty good. However, be warned, the road is too rough for a small car. There is a shorter route that brings you all the way to the opposite bank, where Rapids Camp Sagana pick you up by inflatable dingy.
The longer route is more scenic; winding along the sandy banks of the river that are dotted with gaping sand harvesters’ pits. In some places the rain water has curved enormous galleys with stalagmite-like sand pillars and mounds reaching up to the blue sky, like giant villi in the belly of Sagana, turning the landscape Martian-like.
The brown waters of the Sagana meander along the boundary of Kirinyaga and Murang’a Counties; slow, deep and calm, bobbing over the black polished rocks and then quickly transitioning into white water, cascading down a series of rocky outcrops and then hurtling over sheer drops into loud, frothy, earth-shaking waterfalls.
This is what brings us here.
The Rapids Camp Sagana occupies several hundred acres amongst small holder livestock farms, in an area largely unsuitable for farming, but perfect for every adventure activity you can think of, for all ages.
It’s a one-stop tented paradise for the outdoorsy adrenalin enthusiast.
We arrived in the afternoon, in time for a beef stew and rice lunch, just as another large corporate team building group was leaving. We worked up an appetite during an evening hike up the surrounding hillside and sandscape, and then tucked into a fried fish dinner before settling into our cosy tents, set on the lush green lawns, for the night. The thundering waterfall lulling us to sleep.
Having filled ourselves with a hearty breakfast of sweet potato, sausage and eggs, gulped down with tea, we collected our safety gear and joined other water rafters aboard a truck to the rafting launch area. After a brief from the guide on how to coordinate our navigation in order to keep the raft upright, we set off on the epic, bumpy ride down the brown waters.
If you still have the energy, the 300 meter long zip line over the river and a 35 foot plunge down a waterfall are two other great ways to raise your heart rate. After a quick safety brief, off you go!
By Velma Kiome