Bungee Jumping in Sagana
Jumping from a high platform with just a rope tied to your ankles is not the ideal way to spend Saturday afternoons for most people. But it’s still on a lot of peoples bucket list whether they actually want to do it or not. UP Magazine’s Cherie Kihato tried out this craze this weekend at Savage Wilderness in Sagana.
A couple of friends and I left for Sagana at around 9.30am. Already having MPesa problems with the camp not receiving our money yet, it was starting to seem like I wasn’t going to fulfil this lifelong dream. To be honest though, on the way there, I didn’t really mind if we didn’t do it. The realisation that I would have to jump from a platform 60 meters in the air was starting to kick in and I already began doubting my adventurous side. Eventually, when we were about five minutes away from the camp, they received the money.
We got there and Maina, one of the Savage Wilderness guides dressed in all khaki with a walkie-talkie in hand, greeted us, he said we had to wait a bit for the group before us to jump. We all watched in silence as a tourist took the leap of faith. She screamed, boy, did she scream! That was it for me; I was absolutely not going to do it. It’s not that I was scared of the rope cutting or anything, but I just knew I couldn’t handle myself being flung in the air. I immediately started regretting my choice. Bungee Jumping was a stupid sport for stupid people, I kept thinking; yet I was the one who had paid KES 5200 to do it. All in the name of adventure. But I started to calm down while I watched everyone ahead of me jump; it started to seem easier than it looked - until I had that harness tied to me and I had to climb that red ladder to the top.
I cried, I actually cried climbing that red ladder. My friends tried to cheer me on from the bottom but I was too terrified. I prayed, I sang, I even tried to bribe myself into it but I just couldn’t move. I was stagnant at one spot on the ladder, pleading for the Savage Wilderness guys to pay me back my money. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that when I tried climbing down, I couldn’t. There was no slack on my harness to help me climb down. The only way I was going to get down was either by reaching the top and jumping or waiting about 40 meters in the air for someone to climb the ladder and help me down. There was no way I was going to wait 40 meters in the air for someone to help me down, so I just climbed.
Exhausted and scared to death, I reached the platform and was tied up to the Bungee rope. The instructor explained that I can either jump or he can push me if I was too afraid to jump. I was feeling all cool and collected since I conquered the climb so I told him I’d jump - until he opened that gate and I saw the brown water at the bottom. There was no way I was going to jump. “Push me,” I said. It wasn’t even a push, it was more like a flick and I was off. Being in the air felt liberating but even though I was surrounded by beautiful scenery, it was one of the scariest moments of my life. The jump took about 7 seconds but it felt like 70. To top it all off, I had to stay another minute upside down in the air for the rope to be lowered and a canoe to bring me back to shore. But in the end I was happy I did it, something new and a wonderful story to tell at my 80th birthday party.
Bungee Jumping is not a stupid sport and is not for stupid people. It’s actually quite fun! If you want to try it out click here for information about the camp and other activities they offer.
By Cherie Kihato
