Ziplining at the longest Zipline in East Africa: Scary but way fun

“Do one thing that scares the total sh*t out of you”

It was a beautiful Monday morning on the very first day of 2018. My friends and I decided to start the New Year facing our fears by Ziplining. Everything about this day was terrific except I was not. My head felt like elephants were doing the odi dance with my cerebellum as the dance floor. My face looked like it had been gang banged by a box of crayons and I smelled like a mini bar.

Now, I could have easily backed out but we were in 2018, I was not about to mess with “New Year new me” promise by bailing on my friends because of a "little" hangover. The four us found our way to Kereita which is less than an hour from Nairobi on the A104. Once we arrived, we made our way to the reception and after a few minutes, we were up for ziplining.

We were first asked to sign waiver which basically translates to waiving our right to hold the forest legally responsible if we get injured while ziplining.  Ironically, the first person to sign the waiver was Kech, a whole lawyer. He did not even pretend to speak legalese and be like "amicus curiae" or "adjournment sine die" or whatever it is that Harry Specter says on suits. I was disappointed. We all signed the waivers, got fitted in our harnesses and proceeded to learn the safety rules.

The learning entails practicing on this model of the real deal on how to position yourself, how to break and following instructions from the guide. I could have sworn I heard Orandi say that he was feeling nauseated. I was like, dude you’re lucky you are feeling nauseated, I feel like someone is playing rugby in my head.

After the guides were satisfied, we made our way to the ziplines.  First of all, that first Zipline was loud. Not exactly what I want when my head is itself in chaos. The first guide ziplined, legs way up, almost as if he was laying on a beach bed. At some point he spread his hands out. The exact position and things we were told NOT to do. Yeah, he was showing off like like a typical Nairobi apple product owner.

Kech and Orandi were among the first to go in order to take the photos of Morghan and I like the #instagramboyfriends they are. Then it was my turn to go. That first line is always wild! I was pushed gently off the platform and I was now moving at quite the speed and in a serious relationship with the harness and the cable I was attached to. After the initial adrenaline rush, I got comfortable and started enjoying speeding across an arch of fairytale- green views. Man, Africa is beautiful!

As I was living in the moment, my body, all 108 pounds of it decided to get stuck mid air.  I blame the hangover not the weight. Hehe!  When this happens, do not panic. Listen to the guide’s instructions and you will be alright.

After the second line, we got comfortable and even started pulling stunts.  Some of us were dabbing like the typical millennials.

It was the perfect way to spend the first day of 2018 and I'd recommend this activity any day! The Kereita Zipline Is the longest in East Africa. Go out there and face your fears!

Things to know

• You need to book days in advance by contacting them. Find them here.
• Do not be late. They will give your slot to another team.
• You can only pay via card or Mpesa. Cash is not accepted.
• There are 6 different ziplines that zigzag back and forth kereita forest and it takes about 3 hours for to complete depending on the size of the group. We were a group of 4 plus two guides
• If you want to face your fears for heights, I’d definitely recommend Ziplining. I would further recommend you going with the 6 lines option as opposed to the 2 lines
• There is restaurant and mini bar. Their buffet as of time of visit was 1000 and local beers were kes250
• Currently the charges are KES 2500/25 USD per person for the 6 lines option and KES 1500/ USD 15 per person for the 2 lines.
• Kereita is less than an hour from Nairobi. You can choose to drive to kereita or go with the cheaper option of taking a matatu from town for less than KES 200 to Kimende then getting a motorbike to the Forest. The forest team/Kereita team always text directions once you book.
• It goes without saying; always follow the guides’ instructions. It can be a little bit scary but do it anyway.
• There is no strenuous activity involved except the mini hike after the third line.
• Ziplining is not the only activity offered. There are also other activities such as paint ball, archery, hiking and horse riding
• Wear comfortable clothing that you won’t mind if they get dirty
• You cannot zipline with you baby or toddler but kids aged 5 and above may zipline

 

 

Here’s a video of our ziplining experience at The Forest, Kereita

 

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