Walking for ~10 hours | Masai Backcountry Trek 35km challenge| Hikers Afrique
This is Jos’s experience of the Maasai backcountry trek — Ngong, Kibiko, Diriko, Nachu Kimuka, Ngong circuit — 35 km challenge on 26th June 2021.
Saturday, it was. Convergence point Ngong town.
The town got its name from the local Maa speakers ‘enkong’u’ meaning a ‘spring’. It is believed the area around Ngong hills was Rhino’s haven before ‘man’ became wicked & decimated the species. I always say a man has no role, whatsoever, in nature other than destruction. Nature in its entirety will always come back on its own, man can’t.
So, 15 people had signed up for the challenge but only seven heeded the call. Notably, our celebrated blogger, the trek master herself and now hike beginner had signed up😊 and… The weather was not favourable that particular morning and was the best excuse to escape the strenuous trek challenge.
At 7:40 am, we set off for the trek. The guide at the camp had predicted the earliest return at 8:00 pm. It was my first time to make a prayer before a trek… I had to. I asked him if he is making fun of me, ‘wewe na hii mwili ya marathon unaweza rudi saa moja na nusu’ 😊 (You look like someone who does marathon and might be here at 7:30 pm). Hapo kwa marathon ni mistaken identity! Half hour difference didn’t make any sense. This made me imagine how difficult & long the trek will be. Indeed, it was unforgiving!
The walk from Ngong town to Kibiko Forest block A was a warm-up, 5km down, Joshua said(Hikers Afrique guide). To compensate for this distance, I had to walk from Savanah Masai Camp to meet with the group on the way. Btw, one hiker was on uber!
After the warm-up and briefing, we exited the forest into a posh residential suburb of Kibiko, through winding dusty roads to some farms and past small shops — these were the last water refilling stops, the guide warned us but… hatukuskia.
On one of the farms, we met a stubborn bustard, yes, she was very stubborn. Joshua attempted to help her fly but she was stubborn. Kori Bustard is one of the heaviest birds known to fly and spend more than ¾ of their time on the ground. This reminded me of my years as a guide, having been initially trained for this job. I was happy, being able to identify several birds flying across our dirt trails and those calling from the nearby bushes. It was all bloom season. Sunbirds were busy sucking nectar from the flowers and trapping insects in them, Firefinchs were foraging for tu-tiny insects and seeds sprouting plants. The herds of cattle were leaving kraals for the days grazing in the nearby fields and forests.
The trail took us to the Kikuyu escarpment ‘view-point’ where we could ‘see our future’. The distinction was the agricultural practices that formed the boundary of the mighty Kiambu (right) and the great Kajiado (left) counties. Farms on the right were more farmed and ‘agroforest-ed’ than those to the left. The two ridges on the horizon were part of the trail — it was after this fact that some of ‘us’ contemplated asking our guide for exit point number one😊…which came after another 4 hours, I know right?
I must comment on the pace that was in play, I had charged my headphones overnight but I never retrieved them. I anticipated a long trek that needed some really motivating music. Thanks to Hana, she was very kind, she played quality music throughout the trek.
After crossing the deeply dusty road, we got to a point where our guide mentions the Nachu trail and without hesitation, I asked him if we can Modify the trail and pass by the infamous trail to the caves but Joshua ni nani?….(who is Joshua.…?). We did the extension to the caves! I was so happy since I had missed the Nachu trek, they say, by a whisker.
It was scenic climbing the Nachu ridge in the midst of sheep and goats, they arose the dust and the aroma of the soil was all over the air! Their shepherds trailed them while whistling and singing as they set out for grazing. At some point one, shepherd offered us a handsome dowry in exchange for one of the lady trekkers! I began visualizing the herd of goats and sheep on my farm, but sina huwezo!
The trail across the two ridges, which by far extends to Gicheru mines, are generally rugged and challenging. The volcanicity and rift valley features are very prominent. Rocky outcrops, volcanic caves, ridges and mini-plateaus are all tractions on this trail. The shrubs are abundant thus thriving goat farming. There are also a lot of human destructive activities as one approaches Kimuka SGR tunnel, too much quarrying that has swallowed some section of the trail, demarcation and fencing due to ‘furoti-maguta-maguta’ (prime plots for sale) enterprise. Overgrazing, cutting of trees and charcoal burning has left the ground bare and dry and this, in turn, has caused a lot of erosion and drying of rivers. We crossed several dry river beds that looked like dirt roads!
It was the best sight for a picnic, at the Kimuka SGR tunnel exit. We had a bi-course picnic FYI. After a conversation with the lonely SGR guard, we found a spot. We sat under a tree, removed our shoes, served the picnic and Hana played excellent music. The 3-course picnic lunch was shared, we enjoyed it, we had a cultural fusion of the three East African countries. We filled up ourselves and had some left! I told you it was the best, everything was in abundance. We kept some of the deserts for the last leg😊. But, Joshua, next time bring two bottles; one for lunch and another one for the sundowner😊
A short descent, the guide had to find an exit trail — I told you of hot plots & fences, and we could see the tarmac and conspicuously ‘Subaruians’ were racing against nobody on the new tarmac. Ala! It was WRC 2021 season and was happening down the road. 4 hours later, from desperation point one, we touched the tarmac! Exit number 1. The trails punished us, thorns did not forgive those who had no hiking boots! The sun-scorched us! After a brief photo session upon returning to civilization, three of our thoroughly ‘punished’ hikers hiked a lift back to Ngong, leaving us behind. Another 15.9km remaining.
35–15.9? That's a lot they covered.
AT this point, I was asking myself why I was pushing myself this much. There was no medal to earn anyway so why all these???. But I imagined if we had normal trekkers on this one — Sarah, I am sorry but somehow you came to my mind😊..nakupenda — I gained strength. The pace was set, I could hear boots hitting the tarmac with cowbells in the background.
Joshua, our able guide, was fresh and happy clicking his camera away. I thought he also needs to be in-frame, I took the camera and tried his theatrics but the boots were becoming heavy! I loved the chemistry that had kicked in. We laughed all the way, and this made the last leg more enjoyable!
We made fun of ourselves. We waved & engaged with the people along the way. Silly stories kicked in, we traded Hana (I am so sorry😊) for a sleek Mercedes. The Range-rover & LC V8 drivers stories😊. The Prado drivers’ stories and the crooked shoes! Haki tulichecka hii story….(we laughed at this story)😊. If it was not a honk it was some light flashing from drivers along the route — not sure why……but si we had fun?
We got to the first shop; you should see how we crossed the road to grab that ‘cold’ bottle of water — remember our guide warning us to stock enough drinking water? Indeed, the water was cold! After a group photo — yes, I know we were only four of us but we qualified to be a group after trekking the whole day — we head-on.
As we were leaving, I noticed an adjacent open-air hotel or I can call it a motel since it was by the roadside and there were two Maasai men sleeping under a tree! Ama ningekuywa hiyo kachai, gathufia (or should I have taken that tea?). Si dawa ya moto ni moto? (Loosely meaning the remedy for fire is another fire).… in any case, the chest and the feet were burning! By the way, our guide had told me to exchange my pair of socks while we were having our picnic — yes it worked magic, one skill learnt! Our roadside stories continued.
Loose translations galore — our guide was a master!
We could now see Ngong Hills turbines on the horizon. The altitude has been steadily rising for the last 15km or so. Drivers and other road users continued to appreciate us and kept honking at us. Someone stopped us and asked what we were doing, where we were coming from and why we are doing so? It’s kind of hard to make someone understand why you are punishing yourself unless they try it — An unexplainable feeling.
The last part was all fun, it didn’t feel tiring at all. We passed some nyama choma (BBQ meat) place and we contemplated buying a kilo of goat ribs. We shouted to the guys in the kitchen and they told us the price. We had the cash of course but the remaining trek could not give us time to sit and munch! And that just that way — yes, just that way — we made a nyama choma date deal!
The escarpment ahead was towering! After another brief stop at Kimuka trading Centre, we emptied our deserts remember we had kept some from the picnic lunch, genius, right? ascended the last two kilometres of the trail, on the Ngong escarpment. We detoured from the tarmac having had enough admires.
It was not until when we got to a point of ‘no trespassing’ that we realized the whole area is not fenced. Sisi ni nani….(who are we)… a strategy was conceived. Our guide scaled the fence and went ahead to ‘keep vigil’ as I helped the two ladies to cross or rather literary trespass😊! We modified the elevation, we made some stairs, the boulders around the area came in handy! Within no time we were crossing the farms into the forest that surrounds the camp at the end of our trail.
At 6.15 pm, we were at the trail end. Nearly 2 hours before the predicted time by that guide at the camp. 36km down! Time taken: 9 hours 35 minutes!
The guide who met me in the morning was all smiling and asking us how we managed to be back that time!
We stretched our muscles, dusted our pants (American) and dispersed! What a day, what a trek, what laughter! Clearly, we had tonnes and tonnes of a good time!
A couple of observations to make:
If your guide tells you he will take you to places that nobody can find you, believe him. Listen to him, if he says carry enough water, have enough stock.
Read the trek/hike instructions and know the rated level for each hike — out there is not like a movie theatre, it is a theatre in the wild.
When you refer someone for a hike/trek ensure you pass the correct information to them and thoroughly tell them what to expect.
Nature is unforgiving!
I have mentioned Sarah since she ‘pushed me to tell her what she missed in a detailed manner.
While on treks/hikes, make friends, create the chemistry, make fun out of nothing, listen to your guide, mind your fellow hiker/trekker and finally take a deep breath and enjoy nature!
Would I do it again? Sure. looking forward to the 50km edition.
@Hikers Afrique, you rock!!!
Yes. I regrettably missed the trek, especially the trespassing part that seems exciting and that feeling when you finish a crazy trek. I would have been skeptical on that tiny trail switch to Nachu caves. Lakini huyu naye amenionea.
