Epic Cycling Adventure in Africa - The Kenya Bike Odyssey

So the Trans Kenya bikepacking route was really born a couple of years ago back in 2019. I was cycling through Africa from Cairo to Cape Town as part of a big around the world trip and over the two months I spent in Kenya I was just blown away by how much potential the country has for bikepacking and just adventure travel in general. Because of how good it is, I was actually quite surprised to find that no one had yet put together any complete bikepacking routes there. So two years later with my around the world bike trip having been derailed in South America by the pandemic, I realized that as a silver lining I now had the perfect opportunity to head back to Kenya and to finally make the route happen. I persuaded a friend, Gretchen, to come out and join me, which she did despite never having been to Africa before, and we flew into the capital of Nairobi with three months to put the route together. I was very lucky during my first visit to Kenya to become friends with Eric through a talk which I'd given in Nairobi. Super nice guy, I mean Eric is Mr. Cycling in Kenya, so he runs the best bike shop in Nairobi, he organizes a lot of cycling events around the country, he just seems to know everyone and he has such a great knowledge of all the best places to ride a bike. So Eric was the first person I called once I decided to put the route together. We spent a few days planning, poring over maps, sketching out where we wanted the route to go, and then pretty quickly we'd strapped our gear to the bikes and we were heading out to get started. Nairobi's not a very light city, so within half an hour from wherever you commence, you're out into the bottom country and you hit the trails, so it's really easy to get out of the city, and once you're out of the city, you're into the glory of the landscape. Planning a long-distance cycling route in Kenya came with a lot of challenges. Because the traffic can be really bad on the bigger paved roads, for Kenya you really want to get off-road, onto the dirt roads and trails where it's quieter and usually a lot more beautiful. In Kenya though, the majority of the land is privately owned and things are constantly changing, so for finding routes you can't rely at all on the maps or even satellite images, because there's always a good chance the trail you found on the map actually goes through an area that's private and which can be closed off with no way through. And things can change incredibly fast in Kenya. You might have a route that's absolutely fine one week, and then next week someone's put up a big fence right across it and completely blocked it off, and I mean this actually did happen over the three months that we were in Kenya. So what we needed to do was not just to put together a route, but to put together a route that we were confident would still be possible for years to come, and that was easier said than done. Yeah, I mean we had to redo quite a few sections because of that in the end. When you're a cyclist, you're far more at equal terms than if you were in a car. And the general population in the rural areas, they recognize it's different. When you approach them in a car, you're kind of disconnected. And the average tourist that airport, hotel, vehicle, national park, and then you drive around the national parks and you drive out back into the city, airport, back out. It's completely insulated from the real Kenya, from really what's on the ground and what people are about, what they're doing, their daily life, their daily grind, their daily pleasures. So cycling is the best way to actually experience the people. So literally, day two out of Nairobi, you're in Wamba, and you're in it every single day thereafter. There'll always be a cycling of Wamba. You have the opportunity to cycle as a giraffe running alongside you, or zebra, perhaps. It's a real thrill just to gallop along. See what happens is, if you're two or three cyclists going along together, the giraffe will always spot you first. And you look like a herd of something running along. And they don't know why you're running, but you're running, so they start running. And the zebra look up and say, well, if the giraffe are running, we better start running. And the buffalo will follow, and everybody else will follow, and everybody starts running. And parallel to your direction of travel, they will gallop along. They are those who are in unison, loving the moment. So as well as figuring out where to take the route, I really wanted to incorporate as many great campsites and lodges into the project as I could, with the potential for days off and side activities. I mean, it's a tough route, and most people are going to need a few weeks to ride it. So there have to be some rest days in there too. And there are so many incredible places along this route, you're going to want to take your time. I mean, already on day two, you've got this gorgeous spot on Lake Mabasha, where you can see hippos. And it's just stunningly beautiful, and there's monkeys climbing the trees. Protecting your fruit. You're protecting your fruit. Gretchen got mugged by monkeys twice, two or three times. They never got my fruit. For the most part, you're not allowed to cycle through the national parks in Kenya, which kind of makes sense when there are lions. The exception to that is Hell's Gate, which doesn't have any big cats. So you can ride through on a bicycle safari, which is quite popular with tourists who rent bikes for it. We did take the route through Hell's Gate, just because it's an amazing place. But what was really striking for me was that we actually really didn't need to, as some of the best wildlife encounters we had were just along the route. Nowhere in particular, nowhere special, because all of it is special. And the thing I love most about this route is how many out-of-the-way places it takes you to. Places which you'd never normally see, because they're not on tourist maps. And we had quite a few surprises on the route. A great example of that was this place we found on, I think, day three, called Earth Camp. Earth Camp, yeah, very special camp, run by a really lovely Japanese guy, Kaz. We have a view here. Wow. The highlight there is they have geothermal spas. There's a lot of geothermal activity in that area, and he's built spas over vents coming up from the ground, so you have a 100% natural sauna. And yeah, I mean, what a place. Then we climbed up to the top of Iburu, and then down through Iburu Forest, and there's just nobody there, and you get these occasional views out over the lake. It's just monkeys in there, right? No people. No people. No traffic. No traffic, just monkeys. Being able to camp right inside the conservancy there is about as special as it gets. And you can hear the sounds of the wildlife all around you, and you get to wake up to see zebra grazing right next to your campsite. It's definitely one of those places that doesn't seem quite real. So being able to cycle through Sosambu was, for me, one of the real highlights of the route. So we were joined for a couple of weeks by another cyclist, Josh, who happened to be in Kenya at the same time we were. He'd heard about what we were doing and wanted to try joining us as a guinea pig for some of the route. So my name's Josh. I'm from England. I'm here in Kenya on the Trans-Canadian Bikepacking route. So I'm quite new to bikepacking. I've come out here. It has been a challenge, but it's been great, and such a great way to see so much of the country, I suppose, in such a short time. And with the bike, you go into places where I certainly wouldn't ever have gotten to and ever have experienced and seen. So I've been riding on a gravel bike, which is not ideal. The reason I'm on that bike is because I didn't really know what I was doing. However, up to this point, I've managed the route. It's been difficult, but it's been doable. It's been a great sort of physical challenge for myself. Some of the climbs have been epic, and I really feel quite proud of getting up them. Some of the descents are scary, but my favorite thing is that every day you get these breathtaking views that you would normally see in a brochure or you'd see once on a big trip or something. You might get one or two of these. It just seems to be every day. Huge valleys, and the Rift Valley, and then these massive lakes, and just the profile of the mountains, and the variety of animals. There's a lot of animals and the monkeys in the morning. So for me, just the sheer epic beauty. The world seems pretty big out here compared to England, compared to many places. From Lake Pecoria, there's an easy ride down to Magotio, which straddles the equator. There's a lodge right on the equator line, so you can actually sleep with your head in the northern hemisphere and your feet in the southern hemisphere, which is pretty cool. In Magotio, we also got to meet William, who was a massive help in putting the rig together and a great friend to have in the country. My name is William. I'm the chief warden or chief ranger for this part of the Rift Valley. We've been working with communities to open up this place for adventure. So we've got hiking trails, biking trails, and even four-wheel drive. We have the equator running across the area, and so it makes it an all-year-round destination. And I would like to say that we welcome all of you to explore, discover, and enjoy. So after crossing the equator, the road heads steeply up into the most mountainous section of the whole route. Pecoria Valley forms a kind of subsidiary to the main Rift Valley, which dominates the center of Kenya. And the route follows the ridgeline between these two enormous valleys. I mean, you're riding along this narrow track with these sheer drops on either side, mountains all around you, and it's just spectacularly beautiful. I mean, it's nuts. Yeah, I think for me, the Pecoria Valley section was probably my favorite part of the entire route. It's just epic. So I think a lot of people have this preconception that Kenya is quite flat and just desert, right? Savannah and lions wandering around, and that's Kenya. But the reality is, although there are areas where it's quite flat, the majority of, well, certainly the majority of the route, which takes place in the Rift Valley, is extremely mountainous. So there's a lot of very tough climbs. It's constantly up and down. It's stunning, but it's not easy, and it's rough. Poor Josh. He turned up on a gravel bike with skinny tires and drop bars. And let's just say it's not the ideal bike. Let me be clearer. Don't do this on a gravel bike. You're going to struggle. Josh definitely suffered on this route. He did, but he suffered with a smile. Yeah, Josh, he was often in pain, but he was always smiling. I think he had a good time. Gravel bike, not ideal, not perfect, but it's doable, and it's just well worth it. I didn't really know what to expect too much from Kenya, and the variety, I never would have guessed. Every sort of 50 kilometers, it's a brand new environment. So although the riding is definitely challenging, in terms of planning and organizing, the route is really easy to follow. You don't have to think a lot. We were always good prepared with water, but there's food everywhere, so you don't have to carry a lot of food. It was a big surprise. Yeah, people are lovely and generous. They help you everywhere. You can stop anywhere. You can stop at anybody's homestead and say, I'm tired, and I'm going to sleep in your garden tonight. And it's not nearly as if you're awake. It's more like you're saying, I don't sleep in the garden, I sleep in the house. It's more comfortable, and you're going to insist on sleeping in your tent. Well, we need to do so. People are generally open the doors, and are welcoming wherever you are. So one of the best things about Kenya is that there'll always be someone who can help, if you need it, no matter where you are in the country. We have this epic descent down to Lake Baringo. It's the best descent of the entire route. But whereas it was insanely fun for me on a mountain bike, poor Josh with his skinny tires was really struggling with how long and rough the track was. And I think his brakes weren't really up to the job. He was also suffering from some minor heat stroke as we were there on an especially hot day. And by the bottom of the descent, he was pretty broken. And we still had another hour or two of riding to do for the day. It could have been a massive problem. But in the end, actually, it was easy. I mean, we made it into a village, and one of the locals agreed to take Josh on his motorbike, which was pretty hilarious. But it does go to show there's always a solution in Kenya. People are just so nice. I think that getting to know some of them is definitely one of the best things about riding there. Lake Baringo is a really incredible place. And after all the hard climbing in the mountains, it's a good spot to take a day off the bike. Climate change has taken a huge toll on Kenya. Huge regions of the country have been going through severe drought and famine over the last few years. But at the same time, water levels in more than two dozen of Kenya's have been going up dramatically. At Lake Baringo, the water level has risen by as much as 12 meters, around 40 feet, which is an insane amount, causing flooding and entire areas have disappeared. So taking a boat out onto the lake is a sobering experience, with not just trees underwater, but also buildings, villages, and even schools. Looking at the trees, you can see the waterline from the rainy season, and it's scary just how high the mark has already got. Climate change is something that I think a lot of people are able to ignore, but it's quite literally life and death for people in places like this. In terms of the route, the rising water levels meant that the track I'd originally planned to take ended up being completely underwater, something I didn't learn until I actually got there. Luckily we were able to find a route that went around the flooded sections, and from there you've got the toughest individual climb of the escarpment and out of the rift valley towards Laikithia. So yeah, very tough climb. Steep, bad road, very hot, but very rewarding as the views are incredible. With the climb out of the way, we spent a night camped on top of the escarpment with the rangers, really cool bunch of guys, and from there the Trans Kenya changes completely again, as it heads straight out into the endless expanse of Laikithia county. So Laikithia is the wildest and most remote part of the route, and I think it's in many ways the closest to what most people will think of when they think of going on a bike trip through Africa. It's vast, it's rugged, it's exciting, and it's absolutely filled with wildlife. So Laikithia has the second highest density of wildlife in Kenya, behind only the Maasai Mara, but whereas the Mara is super touristy and commercialized, Laikithia is still relatively untouched, so it's an amazing place to head out for a safari. The section through Laikithia was by far the hardest part of the route to figure out. Everything in general that made planning in Kenya difficult was much more challenging out there. There are fewer roads to choose from, fewer supply points, and private land is a much more sensitive issue, with lots of conservancies to take into account. The roads also seemed to change almost constantly, so maps and satellite imaging were often useless, and there were also tribal tensions in certain parts that we needed to be aware of, so we had to rely heavily on local knowledge to make it work. Yeah, Laikithia was tough, and I was still having to make tweets for that section well after we left Kenya, but it's so worth the effort. I mean that part of the world is just spectacular, so I'm really happy that we were able to make it work. I think the last part of the whole trek was just like my favorite. There were no people at all, like we have seen I think two motorcycles in three days. But that's the thing about Kenya, it really does have it all. Over the course of just this one route, you get everything from picturesque countrysides to stunning mountains, huge lakes, incredible forests, red desert sands, wildlife, and then at the end, the endless skies and wide open landscapes in Laikithia. You've got friendly local people, and you've also got solitude and remoteness as well. I mean don't get me wrong, the riding on the route is world-class, and every single day is jaw-dropping, but even putting that aside, I've never been anywhere with so much variety, and that for me is what makes Kenya one of the best places in the world for bikepacking. It's just like magical. You feel like you cycle here, and you think like, oh you're the first biker or you're the first cyclist going there, because the people there stop seeing you. It's just, it is just really special. It's just really great cycling. Well, you know, I think a lot of people have a preconception of whatever it is they imagine after they've gone about it, and so they have apprehensions. What are the roads like? What's the safety on the roads like? What's the personal security situation like? What's the disease like? What's the wildlife like? All these concerns are very natural and to be expected. What is surprising is when people do get here, all of that apprehension thing kind of dribbles away, and they realize it's actually really good. It's actually really easy getting here. It's really easy to get around. Just the diversity of landscape is what is so impressive, so exciting, and so challenging. Cycle, touring, bikepacking, whatever you call it, you can't beat Kenya. So get a mountain bike and then come on out and get on it.