A Journey to the Peaks of Mount Kenya
Mt Kenya is the name sake of a nation. It is the second highest mountain in Africa. Straddling the equator, this duo hemisphere biosphere reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a wildlife stronghold.
To the indigenous communities who live in the central Kenya, the mountain has several names. The Kikuyu called the mountain Kirinyaga or Kirimara roughly translating to white or the bright mountain. The Kamba called the mountain Kiinyaa, the mountain of the ostrich. The Embu people called the mountain Kirenia, the mountain of the whiteness. The Maasai called the mountain Ol Donyo Eibor, the mountain of the whiteness or Ol Donyo Egere, the specked mountain.
It is believed that the name of the country Kenya come for the Kamba name of Mt. Kenya, Kiinyaa.
Mt. Kenya has three major peaks namely Batian at 5,199m, Nelion at 5,188m and Point Lenana at 4,985m, all named after Maasai laibons (medicine men).
The mountain has three official climbing routes namely Naro Moru, Sirimon and Chogoria
4 DAYS 3 NIGHT MT. KENYA TREK – SIRIMON-NARO MORU ROUTE
Trip Itinerary
Departing Nairobi in the morning, we drive towards Mt. Kenya to arrive in Nanyuki in time for lunch, then we drive to Sirimon Gate to begin our hike. Sirimon Gate (2,650m asl) – Old Moses Camp (3,300m asl) – 3-4 hours walk, 9km, 850m ascent After sorting our luggage and registration, we hand over our bags to the porters. We start our hike (3-4 hrs) through the forest to Old Moses Camp. As we ascend, we shall one time be astride the equator as we move from the southern to northern hemisphere. Camp for dinner and overnight at Old Moses (Lunch, Dinner)
Break camp and after breakfast we begin the trek through the moorlands via Mackinders Valley, enjoying the spectacular views amongst the mountain vegetation consisting of giant lobelia and groundsel, with a brief stopover for lunch. We arrive at Shipton’s camp where we set up for dinner and overnight (4,200m), 7-8 hrs. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Pre-dawn attempt of the summit starts at 0300hrs. We hike for about 3 hours up steep scree slopes and across rugged rocks up to Pt. Lenana (4985m), the hikers’ summit. The views from the summit are stunning. On a very clear day, we should be able to see Kilimanjaro in the south. Point Lenana – Metrological Station 7 hours, 11km, 1,938m descend We then descend down to the Meteorological (Met) Station (approximately 7 hours walk) at an altitude of 3,048m for dinner and overnight. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Met- Naro Moru Gate, 3 hours, 9km, 400m descend After breakfast, we descend early in the morning to Naro Moru Park Gate Naro Moru Gate. From Naro Moru Gate, we take our tour van back to Nairobi arriving late afternoon.
