Hiking is the new exploration cashcow for Africa's foresight

Faith Mwende, the first Kenyan woman to attempt a climb on Mt Everest. [FILE]

Back in 1883, Joseph Thomson, a Scottish geologist, walked from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. He mapped the land and sketched what would later become Kenya.

He described the Rift Valley‘s cliffs, noted its geological features and blazed trails that helped colonisers profit without sharing. Fast forward 142 years, and Kenyans are walking those same paths again.

This time, they are exploring economic opportunities. The money stays local. The goal is not conquest but building lasting wealth from what is in our hands.  

 You remember the story from Exodus 4:2 when God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?“ Moses answered, “A rod. “Nothing unusual. However, that same rod opened seas, brought water out of rocks, and guided a nation onward.

Pause, here is a question to the 47 counties: “What‘s in your hand?“ All over Africa, from Ethiopia‘s volcanic highlands to South Africa‘s Drakensberg, a quiet change is occurring. The next phase of the continent‘s growth will not come from extracting resources.

It will come from smartly using what is already on the surface. If you think tourism is just about hotels and safaris, you are looking at outdated methods.

The new approach uses our natural geology as infrastructure, relies on people for capital, and offers returns that make traditional development inefficient.  

This week‘s signal

 The Kenya Tourism Board recently recognised adventure tourism as an emerging product line. This is a wise move, but the deeper truth is that Kenya‘s future will be shaped by Africans who understand that Rift Valley cliffs, volcanic peaks, hot springs, and forest trails are not just scenery. They are underused economic assets.  

The aspiring geopark demonstrates this perfectly. Five years ago, the Saimo-Releng and Katimok routes had no paying visitors, no structured fees, no organised guiding, and no local revenue.

Today, these routes provide year-round jobs for certified trail guides, support equipment rental businesses for international cyclists, and guesthouses that now report 78 per cent weekend occupancy.

As Dr Philemon Chebon states, “Geology doesn‘t need permission to generate income. It needs understanding, community ownership, and someone willing to organise what‘s already magnificent.” 

What it means for business  

 Adventure tourism doesn‘t scale like traditional hospitality, and that‘s its strength. Capital needs are 60 to 70 per cent lower than for resort development.

Job creation happens in months instead of years. Revenue stays local instead of flowing to Nairobi or foreign chains.  

 Kenya‘s adventure tourism sector now generates over $180 million (Sh23.4 billion) each year. The economics are simple; move people through landscapes sustainably while educating them, and income follows without extraction.

There is no mining, no logging, and no displacing communities. One trail guide in the geopark now earns enough to send children to school, something impossible five years ago when relying on subsistence farming.  

What it means for policy  

 Kenya excels in global athletics because we have systems to identify talent early and train it effectively. Emerging geopark development shows how to apply this thinking to geography.

When trail guides earn competitive incomes at home, migration pressure to Nairobi lessens.

This demographic shift directly impacts urban infrastructure strain, housing costs, and the success of rural investment.  

Adventure tourism creates financial stakeholders who protect the landscapes that benefit them. In Rwanda, similar projects reduced rural-to-urban migration by 23 per cent over four years while increasing protected area coverage by 18 per cent.

This model can be replicated across Hell‘s Gate, Kaptagat’s Kipchoge Cycling Camp, Mt Longonot, Kapchomba and beyond borders.  

Kenya has the most unique destinations in the world. Take Crater Lake Naivasha.

It offers five experiences in one location: modern accommodation overlooking the lake, camping that puts you in nature, a recognised bird sanctuary, nature treks through pristine trails, and terrain perfect for cycling.

This kind of natural offering is rare globally. Let’s position these destinations where the world can see them to create more jobs.

Africa should embrace and champion private conservations as an indispensable ecological de-risking hubs and biological insurance policies that serve as permanent safety zones.

That is, if a disaster or drought hits the big national parks, governments work closely with private conservationists to transfer rare plants and to ensure animal safety.

The kind of care extended in private conservations beats the Singapore standards.

 Afterthought  

 The landscapes that attracted colonial explorers after 1885 remain stunning across Africa. The difference today is that Africans are the explorers, the mapmakers, the interpreters, and the ones who profit and protect.

Teams across the continent are working on activating what is already in their hands.

This shift is the most important economic story of the decade. It is sustainable, replicable, and built on assets we have but never viewed as infrastructure. “Decisions are made on the radar screen, but the future is yours.”  

 -The writer is a human-centred strategist and leadership columnist.