Mad fun at the ultimate Mudathon Challenge
I am always ready to travel and explore new places or even do revisits if I really liked a certain destination. So, the past weekend I got an invite from Bucketlist Adventures to attend the much awaited annual Mudathon and I couldn’t say no. This is one of those events you can’t just pass on because the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) will kill you. The mudathon event takes place annually at different venues and attracts hundreds of adventure travelers and hikeathon enthusiasts. Don’t be surprised when you meet people who casually run from Nairobi to Naivasha in a day. It is not for the weak hearted people.
The D-Day was here and we met in Nairobi CBD at 5am for the three hours’ drive to Camp Dunda Falls where the event was taking place. I was really excited for this as Camp Ndunda is a really well known destination for adventurous travelers. After two and half hours, we arrived at the famous Nice Digital City for breakfast before proceeding to the camp to register for the activities. The camp is located on the banks of Rupingazi river at the foothills of Mt. Kenya in Embu County and is eight kilometers away from Embu town off Kibugu road.
The activities lined up included the Trail Run and Hike, Mud Run through the forest and river, the wild swing, canopy walk, zip lining, biking, waterfall jump and archery. With the trail run, you had an option of choosing between 10km, 25km or 50km depending on your endurance.
The highlight of the day was definitely the mud run which was part of the 10km trail run with eight teams competing for the mudathon champion title. It had different obstacles like jumping over hay stacks, climbing up artificial wall barriers, swimming in the river and finding your way by crawling in the mud. The mud pool was like re-experiencing our childhood memories but without the beating at the end of the day. I have never seen adults so happy about getting muddy.
Team Nipe Nikupe all covered up in Mud after the swim in the mud pool. They finished in third place. Photo | Pool
By around noon, the mud run was over and we were now ready to enjoy some more adrenaline fueled activities. First on the list was a walk at their canopy walk which is among one of the longest in Kenya covering 250 meters long. It is on a suspended bridge made up of strong wooden blocks raised 35 meters above the river using metallic chains. The bridge sways frantically at every movement making it scary and fun at the same time. The wobbliness of the canopy walk makes it more exciting but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who has a phobia for heights. At some point I had to sit down and re-think my life choices.
After the Canopy walk, we had two more activities to participate in which were zip lining and taking the wild swing. Clearly the day was full of pure adrenaline rush activities. Their zip line is across river Rupingazi and they charge Sh1,000 for the two lines which are 250 meters long. It was a worthwhile experience but I still prefer Zip lining at Kereita forest because their lines are longer thus making it more thrilling.
Writer Kemzy Kemzy participates in the Zip Lining at River Rupingazi Photo | Pool
My intrepid battery started draining and fear kicked in making me skeptical about taking the wild swing. If you have watched “Tarzan” the cartoon series and seen how many times he hit trees while taking the wild swings, then you would definitely understand my apprehensions. The daring members of my team absolutely enjoyed the wild swing and ended up swimming at the waterfalls. For me, if the water is not controlled like in a swimming pool, count me out!
After all the activities were over, it was time to clean up at their outdoor bathrooms which are becoming a thing nowadays and I don’t know if it is about sustainable travel or for the thrill, but I loved them. The day ended up with us enjoying our meals under the stars while reminiscing on how much fun we had and how we were really looking forward to the next Mudathon event. BY DAILY NATION
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