Mount Kenya Traverse

Mount Kenya Traverse

This traverse of Mount Kenya combines an ascent on either the Sirimon route or the Naro Moru route on the western side to Point Lenana and a descent of the Chogoria route on the eastern side of the mountain. In total it takes five days and reaches a high point of 4985 metres over a trek of about 50 kilometres. It is not a technical climb to Lenana but there is some high altitude walking and scrambling just below the summit which is sometimes on snow and ice, and ascending the Naro Moru route allows you to tackle the worlds current highest via ferrata, which is past the Austrian Hut on the way to the summit. 

The Sirimon route is considered a more gentle approach with its slightly longer path gaining altitude from the northwest of the mountain more slowly than the Naro Moru route. From the first camp at Old Moses the path then follows the line of the long classic glacial MacKinder Valley up to the high camp (Shiptons) under the summit spires of Batian and Nelion. The summit itself is reached on scree and rocky paths (leaving in the dark at about 2am), which eventually become snow covered as they edge alongside the Lewis Glacier. The final few metres requires a bit of a scramble to reach the shapely summit from where dawn shows the plains of Kenya far below and the amazing silhouette of the two main peaks of the mountain just close by. 

The ascent by the Naro Moru route starts from the west side of the mountain near the market town of Naro Moru. There is a track that can be driven from the local hotel we use (Blue Line) up to the park gate which passes through farmland and small villages on the lower slopes of the mountain. At the park gate we continue on foot up to the Met Station which is just at the top of the dense bamboo forest and offers a much better chance of seeing some wildlife than the Sirimon route. The campsite here has huts and is a perfect place for even a short overnight weekend trip to Mount Kenya if you don't intend to summit. From Met Station the path continues up the notorious Vertical Bog, which is not vertical at all but can be quite boggy, particularly in the afternoon! It opens out onto open alpine heath with beautiful views of the summits from Picnic Rocks on the edge of an escarpment that drops down into Teleki valley and a few hours walk up to Mackinders Camp. The final ascent to Point Lenana requires a 1am start and a short trek to reach the start of the scree slope that leads to the Austrian Hut. From here the ascent has an exposed path on the summit ridge but they’ve recently put in fixed lines (making Mount Kenya the highest current via ferrata route in the world) to give people that confidence to reach the summit without any issues.  

The descent by the Chogoria route, generally considered to have the most spectacular landscape and geological features of cliffs, cirques and lakes, is long but worth it (especially on the descent) for far reaching views of high lakes and glacial tarns, deep gorges and unusual rock formations. One particular enormous amphitheatre of cliffs called The Temple holds the beautiful Lake Michaelson. Camp is further down near Nithi Falls and past Lake Ellis from where you can climb to local high points to see back to the peaks and strange volcanic formations such as the "giant's billiard table". The next day is a glorious descent to the forest and the Meru Bandas at Chogoria gate. From there, the 4x4 takes you down the muddy track to the town of Chogoria.  

You can read more about the type of terrain you'll encounter on a Mount Kenya trek and the level of fitness required in 'Mount Kenya advice'. 

The standard traverse itinerary starts in Naro Moru and finishes in Chogoria town but we can provide all the optional extras if needed, including private transport from Nairobi, accommodation in Nairobi, Naro Moru or Embu (for anyone using the Chogoria route for their ascent or descent), upgrades to hut accommodation on the mountain, etc. We can also help you with a tailor made safari or a visit to our Moving Mountains projects in either Naro Moru or in Embu. 

Testimonial;

"My dad and I decided to take this trip together, we chose Adventure Alternative for a multitude of reasons, firstly they were very flexible with transfers, we could change set dates and add days accordingly, it basically had all the features of a tailor made holiday at a very reasonable price.

The guides, and porters were incredible, nothing was a problem and they made the effort to make us feel very welcome. We were amazed at the level of thought that the head guides gave the porters, they were only to carry back packs and wore quality kit, this is not always the case on other trips. Team was the word and worked very well for our group of 6 that had a wide range of experience and age.

Food was great considering the conditions... they even cooked my dad a separate meal upon hearing he disliked coriander (totally blown away by that gesture).

We all made it to the summit, even when there was altitude sickness and fatigue amongst some of the group. Overall the mountain is stunning, although challenging, well worth a trip if you want to escape the crowds on other options such as Kilimanjaro.

Start to finish was top notch service and advice"

Sirimon / Chogoria route itinerary

Naro Moru / Chogoria route itinerary

Mount Kenya route map

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a traverse the best option on Mount Kenya?

A west to east summit traverse to Point Lenana will give you a much better opportunity to see everything that the mountain has to offer, although it is a little more expensive as we need to use 4x4 vehicles to get you off the mountain on the Chogoria side and there are some extra costs involved with transport for porters getting back to the western side of the mountain after the climb. You also need to be prepared for at least one nights camping on the descent as there are no huts between the summit and Meru Banda's on the Chogoria side, a very quick descent could get you all the way down to Meru Banda's but this is very rarely achieved due to the distance and length of the day, and it is not possible to trek in the National Park after dusk due to the abundance of wildlife, some of which you'll see on the ascent and the descent, particularly at Meru Banda's where there is an open swamp nearby where wildlife comes out of the forest to graze.

What kit is needed to climb Mount Kenya?

To successfully summit Mount Kenya you'll need kit which keeps you warm, dry, protected from the sun/rain and comfortable in the various environments that you'll find yourself in on the way to the summit. There is a detailed list via the 'More Information' menu under 'Mount Kenya trek kit list'.

Why choose us for organising your trek to Mount Kenya? 

• All our staff in East Africa and the UK have been climbing Mt Kenya for more than 20 years so we know the mountain and its communities extremely well, we're happy to discuss options on the phone and offer honest advice on what to expect
  
  
• We employ trusted full time staff who are very experienced and knowledgeable. This arrangement offers job security and good benefits to the staff and gives them very strong loyalty to the company. Our team of Guides and Porters have all worked with us on numerous ascents using all the routes and our Head Guide, Cyrus Maina, has built up a solid team for the mountain and is a trusted upstanding member of his local community, where he sits on the Board at Tigithi Primary School, a rural school on the lower slopes of Mount Kenya that has been developed and renovated by our charity, Moving Mountains.
  
  
• On Mount Kenya our charity has developed numerous sustainable projects which anyone is more than welcome to visit, including Primary and Secondary Schools on the lower slopes of Mt Kenya near Naro Moru, the Solio Community Development for internally displaced people on the open plains of the western side of Mt Kenya, the rural Gatwe Primary on the lower slopes of the eastern side, County Primary and Urban Primary School in Embu town, which provide quality education for most of the children in Embu's slum communities, the Embu Rescue Centre for Street Children and our very own 'Black Cats' football club for the street kids of Embu town. Full details on the work of Moving Mountains in Kenya can be found here.
  
  
• We offer small scale, authentic adventures on Mount Kenya with a personal service and lots of experience to offer.
  
  
• We have our own license to operate tours in Kenya and are a fully bonded, insured and registered tour operator
  
  
• Our prices are competitive and good value, and we offer quality, service, security and an ethical stance on tourism in a developing country.