hills on the Ngong route
The terrain where she developed her taste for walking.
Wandia Maina
Guiding a group is something you learn.
On the high ground of East Africa, the responsibility of leading others has changed the way she approaches an expedition.
Photo: Mountain Slayers Kenya · photographer not credited
The day a participant broke a leg.
Wandia Maina was already organising outings when a hiker fractured his leg. Three doctors in the group had emergency equipment with them.
The accident prompts her to seek training. The founder of Mountain Slayers Kenya qualifies in mountain guiding and responding to emergencies in remote terrain. Training is a practical response to what happened: being better prepared to look after the group when the route becomes difficult.
Before the groups, there were the Saturday outings.
Her brother had taken her to the Ngong Hills while she was looking for an activity away from the city. That first crossing took them the whole day. She went back regularly, until her friends asked to come along with her.
Wandia then found herself preparing their outings. The excursions began with those Saturdays shared with her brother, then the friends who asked to join. The organisation grew out of these get-togethers among people close to her.
Another profession behind the hiking pack.
Wandia is also a psychologist. In 2021, she takes part in a counselling session with members of the Mombasa Law Society about balancing work and physical activity. Supporting others takes several forms in her professional life.
Mountain Slayers Kenya offers day trips, outings with an overnight stay, and high-altitude treks.
Photo: Mountain Slayers Kenya · photographer not credited
Her training ground in the Ngong Hills
months of weekly meet-ups
Every Saturday, throughout that early period she described in 2024.
Four mountain ranges she has explored
Four routes along her journey, in 2021.
- Mount Kenya
- Kilimanjaro
- Mount Elgon
- Rwenzori
Wandia's outings and work
Kenya · from her first outings to training as a guide.
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