Hills made for fun and romance

Ngong Hills are by far the most noticeable landmark, visible from every corner of Nairobi. They are perhaps the most romanticised hills on the continent. And this is why.

In 1914, a young lady, Karen Dinesen came to Kenya on one of the most convoluted love story. A few years later, she met, fell in love and married Swedish Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke. The two started a coffee farm on the foothills of Ngong Hills. Her philandering husband put the relationship on rocks and the two called in quits a few years later.

Karen, then met British big game hunter Denys Finch Hatton, one of the pioneers of the African safaris as we know them today. Madly in love, the couple used to listen to Mozart and Beethoven around Ngong Hills. Then tragedy struck. In May 1931, Denys died when his small Gypsy Moth plane crashed near Voi. Karen buried him on top of the Ngong Hills. The exploits of Karen and her lovers are immortalised in the book, Out of Africa, and the motion picture by the same name.

Two weeks ago, I retraced the footsteps of the early pioneers to the top of the hills. A lot has changed since Karen set foot here. What was then a small Maasai settlement at the foot of the hills has grown into the cosmopolitan town of Ngong. Government institutions, private homes and even a slum are a testimony to never ending encroachment of the hills. Large telecommunication masts and the final aircraft guiding system into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport are among the manmade features on the hills.

The rush to grab a piece of the Ngong Hills went a notch higher in 2008 when Kenya Electricity Generating Company (Kengen) began erecting those massive wind power generating turbines that are also turning into some tourist attractions of sorts.

But romance still thrives on the hills that have become the perfect getaway for lovebirds, teambuilding parties and those in need of some adrenalin rush.

The party spirit begins as you exit Ngong town. The climb to the top is daunting. The dusty route to the top saps the energy of nature enthusiasts. Those in need of exercise huffed and puffed like old, overloaded trucks. The agile ones sprinted up the hills. Cycling enthusiasts pushed their mountain bikes to the limit. We opted to drive up the hill. It’s just another option.

The view from the top is exhilarating. Nairobi city and environs lie in the shadows of the Ngong Hills, Maasai plains on the leeward side, with Kilimanjaro jutting slightly to the south.

City dwellers

Any feelings of despair from the unforgiving terrain dissipate the moment you set your eyes on the serene establishment known as Kompass @Ngong Hills. The Masai-themed décor has given Kompass a local feel. Its rustic touch is enhanced by the tables made out of stacked, wooden pallets. The same wood has been used to make the seats, some strewn around the spacious compound providing the perfect backdrop for the popular photo ops.

The small bar and restaurant are magnets for fun-hungry city dwellers. Apart from biking, Kompass offers archery and zip lining as the key activities. I have zip lined before in the Drakensburg ranges in South Africa where 13 lines go for kilometers on end. In comparison, Kompass in Ngong has two lines, each about 200 metres in length, a small feat, you may say. To first timers, however, it is a hair-raising experience.

I watched as my teammates (all ladies) screamed their lungs out. They interpreted my reluctance to jump into the front line as timidity. Okay, I had to jump in just to prove the naysayers (Mary, Bonita, Sarah and Anita) wrong. The four proved their archery skills to be on point as I faltered, arrow after arrow. Talk of women power.

After a morning well-spent, it was time to head down the hills having discovered yet another adventure gem. Well, if thinking of spending some weekend afternoon not far away from home, head to the hills and relive the romantic memories of days gone by.