Hiking up Mount Kenya, the second-highest mountain on the African continent is on the bucket list of many travelers and an amazing trekking adventure for nature lovers.
You will hike through the thick montane and bamboo forests of the lower slopes, where zebras and eland antelopes often graze. Passing babbling brooks and dark blue mountain lakes, you might be lucky and spot our mountain’s big brother, Mount Kilimanjaro, in the distance.
Nature lovers appreciate Mount Kenya for its impressive landscapes and diverse wildlife, acknowledged even by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Adventure seekers long to conquer the rugged cliffs and ice walls, navigating the highest ferrata in the world.
Whether you are an experienced expedition or a novice hiker, there is a peak for you on Mount Kenya: you can reach Point Lenana at 4985m even if you don’t have climbing experience. The snow-capped peak of Batian at 5199m on the other hand is reserved for those with technical finesse and an appetite for adventure.
No worries, at Kipe Adventure we will walk with you and have your back:
In the morning, your transfer driver meets you at your hotel in Nairobi and soon thereafter, you leave Kenya’s busy capital and its morning traffic behind you. You drive past tea and rice farms on your way toward Chogoria, arriving in the late morning. Your journey then continues, driving through a forest until you reach the meeting point “Kilometre Kumi” or “Kilometre Ten”. Here you will meet your guide and mountain crew and your adventure can begin. You walk along a well-laid path, through a dense bamboo forest. This first section of your trek serves to acclimatize you and allows your body to slowly become accustomed to the increase in altitude. After approximately three hours, you reach the Chogoria Park Gate. Time permitting, you can still go explore the area with your guide on another short hike. In the evening, you enjoy your first dinner and your first night spent on the mountain at 3000m.
Lunch | Dinner
Have a hearty breakfast in the early morning hours, before starting today’s hike. Your destination today is Lake Ellis, and your journey takes you across marshlands, past the clear waters of mountain streams, and through indigenous forests. As your trek continues, a sprawling landscape will open up before you. Keep your eyes out for any of the buffalos, antelopes, and elephants which inhabit this region on your way. A detour to the beautifully located Nithi Waterfall is certainly recommendable today. In the afternoon, you will reach your camp at Lake Ellis. If you still want to stretch your legs some more, you can take a walk along the lake’s shore. Here you could witness the weather change back and forth, sometimes even by the minute. From eery low-hanging clouds of fog to brilliant bright sunshine and back again, in only a matter of minutes. Enjoy the tranquillity of your surroundings and your second night in the solitude of Mt Kenya.
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Today, you have a long journey ahead of you, as you hike approximately 12km from Lake Ellis to the Mintos Camp. After breakfast, you can once more enjoy the views of the lake as you cross a deep gorge followed by a steep ascent walk along a mountain ridge. Lunch will be in the form of a picnic along the way, and you can enjoy your lunchbox whilst gazing over Lake Michaelson below. In the afternoon, you reach the Mintos Camp, your base camp for the summit approach tomorrow. Here you can further explore the area on another short hike if you like. But be sure to go to sleep early, because your summit approach to Point Lenana will begin deep into the night.
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
After some hours of sleep, your guide will wake you between 1 am and 2 am the morning with tea and biscuits. You have a long and exciting day ahead of you, so drink up. Depending on your fitness level and pace, you begin the steep summit ascent between 2 am and 3 am together with your guide. Surrounded by the various peaks of the Mt Kenya mountain range, you hike throughout the cold night, before finally arriving at Point Lenana just in time to witness the sunrise. The arduous ascent will be worth it, as you take a moment to enjoy the spectacular views of the Mt Kenya mountain range, while the sun slowly rises and throws its golden glow over the Batian summit. Thereafter you begin your descent along a steep path leading you down to Shipton’s Camp. You should arrive at the camp around 11 am and will be greeted with a welcome and fortifying breakfast. After a short time to relax, you continue your hike and pass through Mackinder’s Valley. This expansive valley stretches over seven kilometers and is picturesquely located. Dissected by clear mountain streams and decorated with various types of Dendrosenecios, Lobelias, Proteas, and other flowers, you can revel in the beauty provided by the mountain’s kaleidoscopic scenery. You then leave the valley and after a short and steep ascent, you reach a moor landscape. Through the Liki North region, you continue and after crossing the Ontulli River, you reach the Old Moses Camp. Here you will spend your last night on the mountain.
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
With lasting impressions of your summit ascension still fresh in your memory, you start your last relaxed hike. The moor landscape changes to one of the dense bamboo forests as you walk along a comfortable path and your transfer driver awaits you at the Sirimon Park Gate. With a bit of luck, you might see zebras along the way. The eventful past few days you experienced on Mt Kenya herewith come to an end as you make your way back to Kenya’s bustling capital city Nairobi, arriving in the afternoon. You can stop for lunch along the way (optional).
Breakfast
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