Mt Kenya Climb
The Mount Kenya Trek is a superb trek for lovers of high altitude trekking incorporating spectacular scenery and equatorial snows. Our aim is to climb Africa’s second highest mountain (5199 metres). Crowning one of the world's highest national parks, Mount Kenya is a spectacularly beautiful area of moorland, forest, lakes, rock and ice. When you visit Mount Kenya, you visit an absolutely unique environment. It is so unique that UNESCO has declared the park an International Biosphere Reserve. The high altitude equatorial environment has led to the evolution of several specially adapted species of plants, animals and birds. An incredible 81 plant species can only be found on Mount Kenya!
Mount Kenya is a dome-shaped central volcano. Ten glaciers cover the volcanoes peaks. The original crater on Mount Kenya was over 6100 metres high but has been heavily eroded – almost 35% of the volcano has been worn away! Most of this erosion occurred during two periods when glaciers carved much of the top of the volcano. On this trek we pass the Lewis Glacier en route to Lenana, where beautiful ice caves and wind blasted ice formations provide stunning photographic opportunities.
The lower slopes are covered with natural forest and are home to elephant, buffalo, various monkey species and birds. As you get higher, the vegetation changes to heath moorland, covered with giant groundsels and lobelia, until the altitude and cold allow only lichens to survive. The twin peaks of Batian and Nelion can only be climbed by serious/trained climbers – a 700 metre rock face and the cold and altitude makes this a hard task. The next peak over, Point Lenana, is accessible to hikers and this is our goal for this trip. The route that we take up Mount Kenya has been designed for optimum time on the mountain to acclimatise, as well as getting away from the bulk of hikers. This less utilised route is very beautiful with incredible views of the surrounding plains and small lakes, as well as the immense peaks of Batian and Nelion.
Itinerary
| Day Number(s) | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | (Mon) Arrive in Nairobi and transfer to hotel. |
| 2 | Drive to Sirimon Gate. Trek through forest to Judmaier Camp (3048m, 3-4 hours). |
| 3 | Trek to Liki North Valley (3962m, 3-4 hours). |
| 4 | Trek to Shipton’s Camp via Mackinder Valley (4267m, 6 hours). |
| 5 | Trek by glaciers to one of the three summits – Point Lenana (4985m, 4 hours), with views to Nelion (5188m) and Batian (5199m) peaks and over stretches of alpine meadow. Descend to Mintos Hut or Lake Michaelson (3657m, 3 hours). |
| 6 | Trek to Met Station via Mackinders Camp (3048m, 5-6 hours). |
| 7 | Drive to Nairobi. Tour ends on arrival (Sun). |
Trip Highlights
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From Our Blog
At A Glance
Trip Length |
7 days |
Trip Code |
PFTK |
Activities |
|
| Trekking (Challenging) | |
| Min Altitude | Max Altitude |
| 3048 metres | 5199 metres |
Minimum Passengers |
|
| 4 people | |
Maximum Passengers |
|
| 12 people | |
Countries Visited |
|
| Kenya | |
Start City |
|
| Nairobi | |
End City |
|
| Nairobi | |
