Il Kenya è un incredibile Paese africano dove è possibile trovare la migliore combinazione di flora, fauna, cultura e un clima perfetto per ogni tipo di ciclista. Inoltre è facilmente raggiungibile dall’Europa in aereo o attraversando i confini dei Paesi vicini. Noi abbiamo preso un volo dalla Finlandia e concentrato la nostra avventura in due mesi.
Below we will tell you how we ended up cycling in Kenya, how we planned the route and what our overall experience in Kenya was like from a cyclist's perspective.
Il percorso
We chose to do a round trip, starting in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, and ending our journey in the same place. We flew in from Finland with our bicycles and set them up in the hotel in downtown Nairobi. We left the bicycle boxes at the same hotel where we arrived, so that the boxes would be waiting for us at the end of our ride.
Noi non pianifichiamo mai il nostro percorso prima di iniziare a pedalare. Per alcuni ciclisti, questo potrebbe essere stressante, ma per noi è parte dell’emozione e ci piace essere spontanei. Abbiamo abbozzato una pianificazione approssimativa del percorso basata su quello che volevamo vedere in Kenya. Volevamo visitare il Maasai Mara National Park e pedalare comunque verso Nord, dove c’è una buona possibilità di incontrare animali selvatici lungo la strada. Abbiamo anche controllato un tracciato ciclistico già pronto chiamato Kenya Bike Odyssey ma l’abbiamo trovato troppo affollato e commerciale per noi.
Alla fine abbiamo seguito i nostri itinerari e questo ci andava benissimo. Da Nairobi abbiamo preso una strada diretta per Naivasha ed è stata la strada più trafficata che abbiamo mai percorso in bicicletta, piena di camion e auto, praticamente un'autostrada. Da Naivasha abbiamo pedalato fino al confine con la Tanzania e, dopo aver visitato il Maasai Mara, ci siamo diretti verso il nord-ovest del Kenya. Poi il tempo era quasi finito e siamo tornati a Nairobi. A causa del percorso scelto, il nostro viaggio è stato molto vario e ha incluso strade collinari fangose, savana, foreste e terreni pianeggianti. Non abbiamo avuto bisogno di trovare un alloggio perché avevamo con noi tutto il necessario e abbiamo trascorso la maggior parte delle notti dormendo in tenda quando e dove volevamo.
Cosa offre il Kenya ai ciclisti
Kenya is beautiful, diverse and full of friendly people. Like most countries, the cities are busy, but once you leave the capital, you see the true beauty of the country. In Kenya, we encountered green valleys and hills on both sides of the road. In fact, during the winter, the time we cycled, just after the rainy season, Kenya's nature is incredibly green. You can also feel the effect of the hills on your legs at the end of each day because once you enjoy cycling down a hill, you know that after a while you have to go back up again. The hills are also very long, dozens and dozens of kilometres at a time. The paved roads are in good condition, but the traffic in Kenya is very dangerous, cars and trucks whizz by very often and cyclists are easily forgotten. The small back roads in the countryside are nice and quiet, but sometimes they are also privately owned and, if you don't want to pay for the use of the road, you find yourself cycling between trucks again. Cycling closer to towns means more traffic.
The mood in Kenya is relaxed and people are always smiling. Being polite is an important part of the way people interact with cyclists, even though prices in restaurants and shops for foreigners very often tend to be higher. Haggling is part of the culture and the locals still do it with a smile on their faces. The climate varies, depending on where you ride. We first went to the Kenyan 'highlands', where temperatures ranged between 15 and 20 degrees. It was very comfortable and the nights were even cool, but when we approached the savannah, it was very difficult to cycle in the middle of the day because of the heat. When the temperature approaches 40 degrees, you need to hydrate and protect yourself from the sun.
All in all, Kenya is a great country to start cycling in Africa, whether you only have a short holiday or a longer period of time to spend. You don't have to be a professional cyclist to have a comfortable cycling experience and, if you want, you can even sleep in a hotel every night. On the other hand, you can also have a very authentic experience like us, with hidden trails, meeting wild animals on the road and sleeping in tents. You will find delicious food, clean water and friendly people everywhere you go in Kenya. And no, the lions will not eat you while you are cycling.
