Ko dai za mu yi hawan dutse ko kuma balaguro.

It is an either ... or ... structure.

So:

• ko dai = either
• ko kuma = or / or else

The whole sentence sets up two alternatives.

Yes, ko can mean or, but in this pattern Hausa often uses a fuller pair:

• ko dai for the first option
• ko kuma for the second option

This makes the contrast clearer and more natural, similar to English either ... or ... rather than just a simple or.

Yes, it is the same form, but the function is different.

In Hausa, ko can do more than one job:

• in some contexts, it can introduce a yes/no question
• here, it is part of a conjunction meaning either ... or ...

You understand it from the structure. Since the sentence has ko dai ... ko kuma ..., it is clearly not a question here.

It breaks down like this:

• za = future marker
• mu = we
• yi = do / make

So za mu yi literally means we will do, but in natural English it often corresponds to we will go on / we will have / we will do depending on the activity named after it.

In Hausa, many activities are expressed with yi plus a noun or verbal noun.

So instead of always using one simple verb, Hausa often says something like:

• yi balaguro = go on a trip / travel
• yi hawan dutse = go mountain climbing / do mountain climbing

This is a very common Hausa pattern.

hawan dutse means mountain climbing or climbing a mountain.

It is built from:

• hawa = to climb / to ride / to mount
• dutse = rock / hill / mountain depending on context

So the phrase literally suggests the climbing of a mountain/rock, but the natural meaning is mountain climbing.

Because Hausa often changes a noun or verbal noun into a linked form when it is followed by another noun.

So:

• hawa = climbing
• hawan dutse = climbing of a mountain / mountain climbing

That -n helps connect the two words. English learners often think of it as a kind of of relationship.

Yes, dutse very often means stone or rock, but in some contexts it can also refer to a rocky hill or mountain.

In hawan dutse, the intended meaning is clearly mountain climbing or climbing a hill/mountain, not just climbing a single stone.

Context tells you which sense is meant.

Because Hausa, like English, can leave out repeated material when it is already understood.

So:

• Ko dai za mu yi hawan dutse ko kuma balaguro.

means the same as a fuller version like:

• Ko dai za mu yi hawan dutse ko kuma mu yi balaguro.

The second mu yi is omitted because it is easy to recover from the first half of the sentence.

dai is a very common Hausa particle with several uses, and its exact meaning depends on context.

In ko dai, it adds a sense of emphasis or firmness and helps form a natural either expression. You usually do not translate it word-for-word here; instead, you take ko dai together as part of the either ... or ... construction.

Yes. In this sentence it stands for the activity going on a trip / travelling.

Because za mu yi has already appeared, Hausa can leave the repeated verb phrase understood.

So balaguro here is not an incomplete thought; it is the second option in the pair.

Yes. Some possible alternatives are:

• Ko dai za mu yi hawan dutse ko kuma mu yi balaguro.
• Ko dai za mu hau dutse ko kuma mu yi balaguro.

The first repeats the verb phrase more fully.
The second uses hau dutse more directly for climb a mountain.

Your original sentence is natural, especially if the speaker wants a neat either/or structure.