Ascend Mount Kenya Trek

Start the day early with a pick-up from your hotel, residence, or from the airport in Nairobi at 7.30am. From the city, we’ll head north towards Mount Kenya, through the countryside where you can get a feel for local life as it passes you by.

We’ll stop in Nanyuki town, where you can try some traditional Kenyan tea whilst your guide will finalise your food supplies for the hike that lies ahead. From here, we’ll drive to the Sirimon Gate of Mount Kenya National Park. Here, you will be given a hot lunch whilst your guide settles your park fees and permits.

Now, it’s time for your hike to begin. You’ll walk for around two or three hours and head to an elevation of 3,300 metres, trekking through grasslands and ascending with rocky outcrops flanking you. The destination for the day is Old Moses Camp, a collection of wooden huts with beautiful views down the valleys of the mountain.

Included in the first day of your Kenyan safari hike is:

• Accommodation at Old Moses Camp
• Lunch and dinner, no breakfast
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

An early start, at 6.30am, will ensure you’re fresh and ready for the breath-taking views and challenging walk of the day ahead. You’ll have breakfast with hot coffee or tea at the camp to give you ample sustenance for your hike.

The first stage of your hike will see you walk up the Sirimon track and arrive at Liki North Valley that is backed by the peaks of Teleki and Sendeyo. These parasitic vents of the now-extinct volcano offer a great photo opportunity as you reach an altitude of 3,990 metres. From this valley you ascend up to MacKinders Valley, offering broad vistas across the mountain range.

Here, you will stop for a picnic lunch and the chance to take in the many hills and smaller peaks that dot Mount Kenya. Your cliff-edge lunch will also overlook your target of the hikers’ peak of Mount Kenya. The next three hours will see you hike up Shipton Camp, where you’ll be greeted with hot tea of coffee, prepared by one of crew who will walk ahead of your party.

You can choose to take a short stroll to acclimatise to the altitude before dinner is served at the camp. You’ll spend the night in the camp’s wooden huts at 4,200 metres, where temperatures can dip below ten degrees Celsius! Included in this day of your African safari hike is:

• Accommodation at Shipton Camp
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Have an easier morning, with a 7.30 am wake up, with a hot breakfast served and time to repack your bag before we set out hiking at 9 am. This day of your tour is about taking in great views, spotting some of the amazing animals you can see up here, including majestic birds of prey, and acclimatising ready for your final ascent on the fourth day.

Your route will take you clockwise, half way around the summit. Your walk is steadily uphill, with a climb up Simba Col then a walk next to Simba Tarn before heading to Austrian Hut. You’ve now reached the day’s final destination and lunch will be served. The rest of the day can be taken at your leisure, as you mentally and physically prepare for the ascent to the peak the next day.

The next day will be a pre-dawn start so you’ll be served dinner and then it’s time to try and calm your excitement and get some rest. Included in this day of the hiking safari in Kenya is:

• Accommodation at Austrian Hut
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Awaken before sunset, chow down on tea or coffee and biscuits – we suggest you eat light to keep your digestion nimble at high altitudes. You will embark on your descent up to Alpine section of Mount Kenya, where the vegetation and climate might begin to feel familiar to European guests or those from the northern end of North America.

Reaching Point Lenana, at 4,985 metres, should take around one hour and your arrival will give your plenty of time to be in situ for sunrise. You will be challenged on the ascent; a strong mind as well as body will be needed to get you to the top.

As the sun breaks through the darkness, you may be lucky to have a day clear enough to spot Mounts Kilimanjaro and Elgon, as well as the Indian Ocean if you look to your east. After you’ve filled your heart with wonder and your camera with photos, it’s time to descend at a leisurely pace to Mintos Hut, which will take two hours and you’ll be richly rewarded with a cooked breakfast.

From here, it’s time to descend further, for the going down is always much easier than the going up. Your day will end when you reach Bandas Camp to rest your well-walked legs as you eat dinner and curl up in the wooden huts. Day four of your Kenyan hiking safari includes:

• Accommodation at Bandas Camp
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Rounding off your safari hike, you will be served breakfast at 7 am. With little to rush for as you finish the descent of Mount Kenya, you can move at a leisurely pace to get going this morning.

The final walk is 10 km and downhill or flat, trekking through forests with chances to spot myriad mammals and birds as you move through the wooded landscape. Our driver will be awaiting your arrival at mountain base. You’ll be driven the rest of the journey through the park and arrive at the town of Chogoria.

Once out of the park, you will be given chance to bid farewell to the crew who have supported your hike up Mount Kenya and set out back south to Nairobi. During the drive you will stop at a local town to eat a hot lunch of traditional Kenyan fayre. Arrival in Nairobi should be in the late afternoon, at which point you can request to be dropped off at the airport, your hotel, or residence, depending on your onward plans.

The final day of your African hiking safari includes:

• No accommodation, this is the final day
• Breakfast and lunch, no dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra