Adventure in Marania!: Roadtrip | Camping | Views
We did not make it to our destination, so we had to spend the night at a Buffalo playground. We are on our way up Mount k\Kenya to a small lake called Rutundu. We knew the current trains, we are going to turn this into a battle of endurance. But we were determined. We were not about to turn back from a challenge of slippery mountain roads.
This is Marania. Our journey began at Nanyuki Town. The mountain tends to get very very cold so we bought some firewood and had it all loaded up on the roof racks. We did not find any dry firewood so
we just went with what we found. This is the Nany- Isiolo Highway. We are headed down towards a place called Kisima. Yeah, we just left Nanyuki, we bought some firewood. It's around 2 p.m. We're going up Mount Kenya today to a place called Rutundu. There's a small lake there.
We will be camping for the night. Yeah, that is where we're going. It's cloudy as heck. Let's hope it won't rain. We made it to Kisima in the rain. I quickly topped up my fuel before we made our way towards the gate.
Let me deal with the tires first. This is the Marania gate. We checked in and made sure we were ready for the adventure ahead. We aired down our tires and made sure we had everything that we needed. And with that, we'll say, let the adventure begin! As we made our way up the mountain and through the jungle, the roads gradually became worse and worse. And soon, they were all slippery and muddy.
We were not going to let this stop us. We were ready. We were all prepared for the challenge. So we have made the payments, the gate, and now we are going up.
I did not expect it to be this rainy, but it is what it is. So we are now making our way up to the campsite. It's around 4pm, so we need to be a little hasty.
Now this is where the challenge starts. A challenge for you. If this does not work out,( we'll drive back down, then) we will go straight ahead.
So yeah, we have started our ascent up to the campsite so if you get stuck just radio in What? I'm checking if the spare will hit the ground. Oh, Cool? so just stopped somewhere ahead waiting for everyone else to catch up we're in the rain I might have to trace back a little bit maybe someone is stuck then we'll see (water splashing) So camp isn't far from here?. (laughing) the way your'e laughing, it's not inspiring confidence.
(laughing) Still have like, it's over 10 kilometers. But it's just uphill all the way. (engine revving) Yeah, so the Jimny and the 120 series were stuck for a bit but they were able to get out. So now you're proceeding up the mountain. And in no time, we were out of the forest and into the moorlands. Kenya forests are working on replanting trees, like actual trees and not the shrubs.
So, yeah, in a few years this place should be a forest. A thick forest. Yeah, we are in a very bad section. I think I will go through the bushes instead of going through the road. Yeah, it's steep. and Bad So we have decided to go through the bushes.
It's around 5:40 PM, we still have some way to go. my problem was just momentum I should have backed up all the way to the water I under estimated it If I'd sped up on the first try, I'd have made it Let's go. Go! Go, go, go, don't let go.
WRC That was a very fun section back there. I did not get enough momentum to get up. So I decided to go through the forest. So that is our destination. That is the hill near Rutundu. As we made our way up the mountain, we could not help but appreciate and marvel at the raw nature of this landscape.
We faced a fair share of challenges, but we kept going. This was the last blunder of the day, I slid into ditch and got stuck. We tried a bunch of recoveries, but still, no luck. Our destination was so close but yet so far away. Darkness was rolling in and it became apparent that it would be a challenge to get all the cars past this point.
Given that this is a sport frequented by Buffalo, we do not want to spend more time in the dark. We decided to count our losses and camp nearby. We had identified a spot that would be best to camp. Oh, okay. So I think this car can... Wait, the car can't enter? No, he's camping with this awning.
No, no, no. I think he'll just place his car here. You're here? Yeah. This is where... No, I'm staying here. Oh, okay. Oh, that's nice.
You can boxed in nicely. Yeah. I think I'll even move lower. we can do a fire here. or? We had finished setting up camp in Had dinner by around 9pm. We tried setting up a bonfire but the rains would have none of it. The firewood not being dry wasn't helping either.
We tried for a while before giving up and settling for a charcoal fire. We sat here telling stories of our adventures till way beyond midnight before we retired to bed. It's actually strangely warm.
The morning brought with it a welcome surprise. A sunny day with clear blue skies. And just for context, this is where we camped and this is where the buffalo hang out.
We were so lucky that there were no buffalo walking around in the night. And as we pack up and prepare for next leg of the adventure, I'll say, that's it for today. Thanks a lot for watching and I'll see you around.
2025-04-14 10:48
