Mount Kenya Trekking Routes

Mount Kenya is the highest mountain of Kenya and the world’s highest standing mountain on the equator. Mt Kenya offers a wealth of gracious landscapes and excellent climbing opportunities on rock, ice and snow. With Mt Kenya’s towering height of 5199 meters above sea level, Mount Kenya has three main peaks, Batian at 5,199m, Nelion at 5,188m and point Lenana at 4,985m. Of these main peaks, only point Lenana (4,985m) can be reached by trekkers. The two other Mount Kenya summits, Batain and Nelion, are only for technical climbers. Other major summits on Mount Kenya include Point Piggott (4,957m), Point Dutton (4,885) and Point John (4,883m).

Mount Kenya is about 60km across, and circular at the 200m contour where steep font hills rise out of the gentler slopes of the centred highlands. At the centre of the massif the main peaks rise sharply from around 4,500m to Mt Kenya’s main summit of Batian at 5,199m. After the cultivated farmlands on the lower slopes of Mt. Kenya, the trails pass through the rain forest, rich in trees of many species but noticeably camphor, then onto a bamboo zone growing to heights of more than 12m, and than more up through open moorland before you reach the surrealistic Alpine moonscape of the higher slopes of Mt Kenya.

Apart from the superb climbing potential on Mount Kenya with its tarns and alpine meadows; exotic, equatorial, high-altitude vegetation including giant groundsels and lobelias; sunbirds and soaring eagles make the walk around Kenya’s mountain peaks. The lower forests are rich in wildlife including Elephant, Buffalo Lions, Leopard, various Antelopes and a wide range of other creatures, large and small; occur in Mt Kenya National Park. Even the higher moor lands offer a long list of interesting mammals including the illusive Bongo and Rock Hyrax, which the nearest living relative of the Elephant.

Mount Kenya can be climbed all year round. The highest rainfall is from March to middle of May and occurs in the forest belt on the south-east side of the mountain where it reaches 2500mm. per year at 3000m height. Slightly less rain occurs between late October and mid December. Even in the driest periods in January and February, rain and, higher up, snow can be encountered at any time of year. If any, rains tends to fall in the mid-afternoon thus the best weather is generally in the mornings.

There are three main routes on Mt Kenya which penetrate the forest and moorland. The routes are Mount Kenya Naro Moru Route, the Sirimon route and Chogoria route. Each of these routes has something different to offer for mountaineers. The fastest and most popular route to point Lenana, but not as scenic as the other two, is the Mount Kenya Naromoru route. It is often overcrowded with many climbers. This route takes 4 Days to reach Point Lenana.

The least used of the three main routes, but features the most gradual ascent profile and best acclimatisation options is the Mount Kenya Sirimon Route. Above all the Sirimon Route is most interesting since it’s on the drier side on the mountain. The route passes through impressive Yellowwood forests in the lower reaches and features abundant wildlife, and higher up, a beautiful alpine scenery. This route takes 4 or 5 days to reach Point Lenana.

The route passing the enchanting Hall Tarns and looks down sheer cliffs into the spectacular Gorges Valley and onto the beautiful Lake Michaelson is the Mount Kenya Chogoria Route. Chogoria is the most scenic and interesting of these three main routes on the Mount Kenya. This route takes 5 or 6 days to hike to Point Lenana.