Modern trailblazer: From corporate life to mountain peaks

Adhiambo Agoro is only 30 years old but seems to have lived a dozen lives, each chapter more thrilling than the last. By day, she is a seasoned hiking guide, leading local and international adventurers through East Africa’s most rugged trails.

Agoro, who describes herself as an introvert, has learnt to answer the call of the jungle with the mountains becoming her second home.

She has scaled Mount Kenya 20 times, Kilimanjaro three times, and hiked some of the highest peaks around the Great Lakes region. Agoro can go up Mt. Longonot four times in one day and summit Ngong Hills twice a day with some hours to spare.

But that is not even half the story. Agoro has graced the runways as cameras rolled in her budding modelling career, penned poetry verses with Storymoja and lent her voice on podcasts. Along the way, she stepped into the country’s corridors of power through a short stint at The Treasury. And oh, she likes hibiscus tea. And she’s just getting started.

“How many things can one person be?” I ask her in between some copious sips of her favourite beverage. “Life should be lived and exciting. You know, not many people can go through all that. But you must be daring. Conquer the fears within and push on.”

We are seated at Unseen, the chic, rooftop space within a 12-floor building near Yaya Centre, where guests can watch movies from a small theatre. The city below us hums with the sights and sounds of Kenyans in various hustles. Agoro retreats here quite often, not only to sample their food and the movies but to engage with a small community in what they call ‘The Offline Café’.

“Offline Café is about switching off from all electronic gadgets. No phones, tablets, nothing. We just met and talked,” she says.

Agoro completed her college education in 2018 and made her first hike in 2019. She quit her full-time job three years later to go full throttle into the hiking and guiding world.

Keep Reading

“Honestly, it all started with curiosity,” she says. “At the time, I just needed a break from the day-to-day rhythm of corporate life, so I booked my first hike to Buxton Tunnel and just showed up, not really knowing what to expect.”

At 1.7 kilometres, Buxton Tunnel in Limuru is the second-longest train tunnel in Kenya, built around the 1940s.

That day in 2019, Agoro says, changed everything. “The people were different, the energy was different, and it amazed me that there were people who actually woke up early, packed their bags, and went hiking just for the love of it.”

Her curiosity led her to the next hike, and the next, until she realised this was not just something she enjoyed but something that healed and excited her. Being naturally curious made the outdoors part of her psyche.

“I would find myself asking questions about trails, rock formations, and the stories behind the places we passed by. And the more I learned, the deeper I fell in love with it all. What began as a curious weekend escape slowly became a way of life,” says Agoro.

Agoro, the founder of Avi Expeditions Limited, says guiding hiking enthusiasts is not just something she does on weekends but a place where she lives, breathes, and grows. As a trail guide, her role is to create hiking experiences that bring people together and connect them to the outdoors.

Her outfit comprises five women who are also hikers, a factor contributing to the advancement of the craft among women who are often viewed as not cut out for such adventures.

“As a female trail guide, I know how rare it is to find women leading in this space. But that’s exactly what makes it meaningful,” she says. “I believe the outdoors belong to everyone, and that as women, we deserve to see ourselves as strong, steady, and completely at home out there.”

Agoro and her team have led expeditions across some of the most beautiful and challenging trails in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Guiding people who often start out doubting themselves, but who end up discovering their own strength on the mountain. Nothing moves her than total strangers putting their trust and entire lives in her hands.

“We have built a space and a community where people can train, hike, and prepare for bigger mountains confidently. We help with gear, prep hikes, and the mental side of climbing. This is because we strongly believe that adventure shouldn’t feel out of reach,” she says.

Beyond guiding, Agoro is an athlete who runs, cycles, and is currently learning how to swim in an effort to build endurance in every direction.

What does she love the most about her lifestyle? “It is how simple it really is. Wake up, move, connect, repeat.