Africa’s second-highest mountain, with far fewer people than Kilimanjaro: up through the Mackinder Valley to the foot of the jagged peaks, sunrise on Point Lenana, and down the dramatic lakes and gorges of the Chogoria side.
Mount Kenya is Africa’s second-highest mountain and one of its most beautiful. Its jagged volcanic peaks rise above glaciers, tarns and valleys full of giant plants, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It sees a small fraction of the climbers on Kilimanjaro, so the trails are quiet and the experience feels wild.
This six-day trek crosses the mountain from west to east. You go up the Sirimon route, which has a gradual profile and good acclimatisation, reach Point Lenana at sunrise, and come down the Chogoria route, famous for its lakes and gorges.
Going up and down different sides gives you the best of the mountain. Sirimon is the gentlest way up, with a steady gain in height and the beautiful Mackinder Valley. Chogoria is the most spectacular way down, past the Gorges Valley, Lake Michaelson and the Hall Tarns. Read our guide to Kenya and the best time to visit Kenya.
You walk with a licensed guide, while porters carry the tents and a cook prepares meals. Days are steady and paced for altitude. Nights at Shipton’s and Mintos are cold, often below freezing, and the summit morning starts in the dark. Rock hyraxes and colourful sunbirds are common around the camps, and the giant lobelias and groundsels are unlike anything else.
Kilimanjaro is higher and better known, and its summit is a famous goal. Mount Kenya is quieter, rockier and arguably more beautiful. Trekkers with time often do both: Mount Kenya first for acclimatisation, then the Lemosho route on Kilimanjaro.
Nanyuki and Chogoria are close to some of Kenya’s best wildlife areas. Follow your trek with our 5-day Samburu and Ol Pejeta safari, or fly to the Masai Mara.
Drive north from Nairobi to Nanyuki on the western side of the mountain and on to Sirimon Gate. After registration, walk up a broad track through forest of podocarpus and juniper, then bamboo and heath, where you may see buffalo, colobus monkeys or elephant tracks. Old Moses Camp sits on the edge of the moorland.
Climb gently across open moorland with views of the peaks ahead and the plains of Laikipia behind. Liki North is a quiet camp in a glacial valley, chosen to give your body a night at moderate altitude before going higher.
Cross a ridge into the Mackinder Valley, one of the most beautiful walks in East Africa. The valley floor is covered with giant groundsels and lobelias, and the twin summits of Batian and Nelion tower above. Shipton’s Camp lies right below the peaks; in the afternoon, take a short acclimatisation walk and rest early.
Start before dawn and climb by headlamp to Point Lenana, the highest point on Mount Kenya that trekkers can reach without technical climbing, timing your arrival for sunrise. On clear mornings Kilimanjaro can be seen far to the south. Then descend the eastern side via Simba Col to Mintos, beside the Hall Tarns on the rim of the Gorges Valley, with Lake Michaelson far below.
Walk down the Chogoria route along the rim of the Gorges Valley, past the dramatic cliffs known as the Temple and Vivienne Falls, then through moorland and into the forest. This is widely considered the most scenic side of the mountain.
Descend through bamboo and rainforest to Chogoria Gate, then drive through tea farms to Chogoria town and on to Nairobi, arriving in the late afternoon. Add a night in Nairobi, or continue to a safari in Samburu, Ol Pejeta or the Masai Mara.
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It is a demanding but non-technical trek. Point Lenana is about 900 metres lower than Kilimanjaro’s summit, but the terrain is rougher and colder. Good fitness and warm gear are essential.
Only as a technical rock climb with ropes and an experienced mountain guide. This trek reaches Point Lenana, the trekking summit.
Yes. Many climbers trek Mount Kenya first to acclimatise, then travel to Kilimanjaro a few days later.
January to February and July to September are driest and clearest. April, May and November are the wettest months.
Easily. Ol Pejeta, Samburu and the Aberdares are a short drive from Nanyuki, and flights connect to the Masai Mara.
Wildlife 5 daysRhinos on the Laikipia plateau, then the dry, beautiful north where reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebras and gerenuks gather along a palm-lined river: Kenya beyond the Mara, in five days.
Signature 18 daysThe ultimate East African journey across four countries: chimps and gorillas in Uganda, golden monkeys in Rwanda, the Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.
Signature 10 daysThe best of both worlds: chimpanzees, savannah and mountain gorillas in Uganda, then a short flight to Kenya for three nights among the big cats and great herds of the Masai Mara.
Change the dates, add a night, upgrade a lodge or combine it with Rwanda or Kenya. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
