Escape the city and discover Nairobi’s growing hiking culture. The 77 Percent joins the outdoor start-up Let’s Drift and its founder Alex Kamau on a hike in the forests outside Nairobi. The aim, to explore nature and connect with Kenya’s growing outdoor community.
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00:00It's a weekend, 7am in Nairobi's city centre and while party goers might just be going
00:07home, these outdoor lovers are gearing up for a city escape.
00:11Alex Kamau, founder of the hiking start-up Let's Drift, is used to the early mornings
00:15cause after all, weekends are for hiking.
00:19I think I was talking to someone earlier and they were saying it's a healthy addiction.
00:22When you're addicted to hiking, you don't mind.
00:25I mean, it's one of the mornings where you're excited, I mean, you're not going for a walk
00:29but you're going for a hike.
00:32While Alex and his crew organise hikes from beginner level to reaching the summits of
00:37Mount Kenya, today they are just taking us on a 12km walk through a forest near Nairobi.
00:48Today's hikers are therefore a mixture of first timers to more experienced hikers who
00:53just want to stretch their legs.
00:56Honestly, I got roped into it by my friend but I'm trying to get into my fitness journey
01:02so yeah, that's why I did this.
01:04This is my nth hike, I've been hiking with them since 2020 actually, when the pandemic
01:08began.
01:09I'm not an OG but I'm as close to an OG as you can get.
01:13Stretches, instructions, a deep breath in and out and off we go into the forest through
01:21the different vegetation zones, some like this bamboo forest, the perfect location for
01:26photo ops.
01:27For Alex, who started his outdoor company in 2019, being in the forest somehow never
01:33gets old.
01:34One of the reasons why I hike is I love taking photos.
01:38I take photos for personal reasons but also because I use them on our website and our
01:43Instagram.
01:45As the hikers or drifters as they call themselves find their stride, Njama is one of today's
01:50guides.
01:51His advice for this beginner-friendly trail.
01:56Enjoy the trees, hug more trees and enjoy the moment.
02:02And what's better to recharge your energy than some gigantic tree hugs?
02:07While the area outside Nairobi is somewhat of an outdoor playground, the hiking groups
02:12are a relatively new phenomenon.
02:15Spurred by social media and the pandemic, Alex, who started Let's Drift as a WhatsApp
02:20group amongst friends, seems to have hit a nerve.
02:24A few years ago, hiking was still considered a Mzungu thing, I mean like a white person's
02:29thing.
02:30I mean, Covid comes, a lot of people's lifestyle are literally disrupted because, I mean, you
02:35couldn't access social places like churches, clubs, and so people started finding out to
02:40do something else.
02:41I mean, hiking was a good alternative because in a world where people were working so much
02:46indoors for like remotely, I mean, there was no social access.
02:53It helped people go out and still keep the social distancing.
02:57That his outdoor hobby would turn into a viable business never crossed his mind.
03:03Alex recently discovered e-biking and also added that to his repertoire.
03:07He still remains his only full-time employee, but he employs five consultants, an entire
03:12network of guides, and offers several trips per week.
03:17This means, however, that behind all the fun, his weeks look like that of any normal startup
03:22founder.
03:23Planning, meetings, screen time.
03:26And because outdoor adventures are new to many Kenyans, it is also quite a learning
03:31curve.
03:32That the outdoor space is not legally regulated in Kenya.
03:37So that means you have to sort of regulate yourself, you have to train your outdoor guides,
03:42you have to certify them in your own way, and getting certifications in Kenya for outdoor
03:49curriculums is really hard.
03:53As work and play intertwine, Alex's focus hasn't stopped him from achieving a few goals
04:00of his own.
04:01In 2022, he climbs to Everest Base Camp and stood at the foot of the world's highest peak.
04:09Nepal and the base camp trek is one of the, it's like the hiking Mecca of the world.
04:14So being able to see one of the biggest hiking cultures was such an exciting thing for me.
04:19I also learnt a lot of things around safety, evacuation.
04:25While Nairobi's forests are no Everest, these hikers were in it with heart and soul.
04:31A time out, a chance to meet new people, and perhaps take on tougher hikes next time.