Travel: Want an exciting hobby? Try biking

Female-focused motorcycle groups such as Piki Dada have sprung up across Nairobi. These aren’t professional bikers; just regular women whose jobs range from microbiology to farming, who love to travel and bike, and have decided to form support groups.

In Limuru, some 40km out of Nairobi, a thick green carpet of tea sprawls into the surrounding hills. Then, the unmistakable throttle of motorbikes fills the air, breaking into the serenity before we even see them. They appear around the bend; seven headlights beaming in the distance in perfect formation, one behind the other, like a presidential convoy. They whizz past, neatly braided, brightly coloured ombre ponytails flying behind them from the center of their helmets.

Ranging in age from 28 to 55, they dismount their motorbikes and look so cool that you almost feel inadequate, like you ought to be wearing thigh high boots to even talk to them. “The hills are alive with the sound of nduthis!” sings Nyambura Njuguna, running gleefully into the tea plantation.

So far, they have ridden to Mombasa, Moshi, Kisumu, Kitale, Baringo, Kericho and beyond. Their riding calendar for 2020 included a potential trip around Ethiopia, before the pandemic struck and put that on hold. Riding can be an expensive hobby, because everyone has to be fully geared up for road trips. “It’s just like buying a handbag or a pair of heels; you see it, you want it, you get it!”

Riding is also very therapeutic. Patience Mehta, aka Peanut, one of the founders of the group, even states that “if you’re going through depression and you ride, you’re going to come out of it.” She rides a Hero Karizma ZMR 223cc fondly called Babezy.

In Limuru, we stop at Brackenhurst for lunch, then they ride past Kiambethu Tea Farm, stopping to marvel at the greenery.

They each got into biking for various reasons. Agi D’Acosta is an accountant who struggled to find time for herself, but once her kids were older, wanted to take up a new hobby and was drawn to motorcycles. “People never believe that I own the bike, let alone ride it. I’ve been asked if it belongs to my husband,” she says.

Needing a change of scenery, the group rides up a tree-lined dirt road, onto Kiambu Road, towards Nairobi. Following right behind them in a car, it is fascinating to see how much of a statement they make. People stop, stare and do double takes. A group of kids herding cows in the countryside raise little sticks in the air and cheer, and a passenger holding a goat on the back of a boda boda almost drops the poor thing as he leans over to get another glimpse of the ponytail helmets. You can almost imagine his conversations later that day. “You will not believe what I saw today…!”

Biking tips from Piki Dada

Be fully geared, all the time.

The more you ride, the more you know about yourself. You could still come on a trip but we could insist you be in a car for safety.

Riding in a group pushes you to keep going, but going solo helps you know your limitations, habits and mistakes.

What kind of bike do you have and what’s the engine size?

You must enjoy road trips and camping.

You need flexibility to do longer trips, but if you're married and need to be home with your family, you could settle for a day ride.

 Favourite places to ride in Kenya, from Nairobi

Kisumu: The landscape and weather change frequently as you ride past the countryside and small towns, taking in the beauty of the Rift Valley and Naivasha on your way to this city in Western Kenya.

Nanyuki: We take on Thika Highway and past Nyeri, the terrain flattens and the long-haul trucks are easy to overtake on two wheels. In Nanyuki, you can spot Mt Kenya’s peak jutting into the sky on a clear day.

Oloitoktok: This is a border town on the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro and the scenery therefore doesn’t disappoint.

Recommendations for other riders

Samburu: For animal lovers, the national reserve here has plenty of wildlife.

Watamu: This small town on the Kenyan coast is home to numerous marine animals and mangrove forests. The beaches, too, are pristine and uncrowded.