Walking Safari to Summit Mount Kenya

Welcome to Kenya!

After landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, you'll be collected and transferred to your hotel close to the airport. As everyone will be landing at different times, there is no schedule today and you are free to do as you please. Just remember to get a good night's sleep as we've got an early start tomorrow!

Depart early morning at 6:30 am and be driven to Nanyuki stopping for a quick coffee in town (approx. 4-hour drive). From here it is a scenic 2-hour drive north into Laikipia before arriving at camp in time for lunch.

We arrive at our mobile, tented camp where we will be greeted by the team of Laikipia Masai and Samburu staff. The local Laikipia Masai call the rocks at our meeting point Nayasura and stone chippings suggest that they have been used as a camp for millennia. We too will use the rocks starting with a refreshing lunch and short afternoon rest in our classic roomy safari tents. Once it cools off a little, we will head out on a walk looking for game and getting a feel for the country. As the sun begins to set we will find ourselves at the crest of the rocks with drinks and nibbles, watching the baboons come back to roost on the face of the rock. Back at camp after hot showers, we'll enjoy drinks around the fire and sit-down for dinner under the stars.

Typically, we are woken before sunrise with a friendly ‘hodi hodi’ (wakey wakey) outside our tents and hot water in our basins. After breakfast, we will set off with the rising sun. We walk through the morning looking for wildlife, birds, scenery and culture along the way and arrive at our new camp before lunch. We are accompanied by an armed guide, Laikipia Masai tracker and riding camels who also carry the refreshments and day-packs.

The walk is typically between 8-16km in the morning hours. We will stop occasionally for water and a light snack before carrying on to our next camp. We arrive at our new camp to be greeted with a cool drink and a freshly prepared lunch.

In the afternoon we'll meet the teachers and children of a school where IGO directly supports their education. The camels also use this time to relax and browse around camp.

In the evening our staff will offer hot showers before we have drinks by the fire and dinner under the stars.

Following a similar outline to the previous day enjoy the morning walk to the next camp and have the option to enjoy the different activities on offer which could range from tracking wildlife or visiting a manyatta. The afternoon is spent relaxing, enjoying a stream or river or having a siesta before going for an evening walk, rock climbing, birdwatching or sundowners. Ending the day around the campfire, sharing stories and dining under the stars.

After breakfast in camp, we will be transferred to the outskirts of Nanyuki Town to the road head of the Timau route north of Timau town at 2,700m above sea level to begin our ascent of Mount Kenya. This hike starts off at the start of the moorland zone and takes us up through patches of bamboo and heather. We will stop for lunch on the rim of the crater, which offers a chance to see some of the rare mountain species such as eland, zebra, buffalo and even the occasional elephant. The view as we ascend is breath-taking, looking down across Kisima, Lewa Downs, Samburu and the great Northern Frontier beyond and up to the glaring peaks of Mount Kenya ahead. After lunch, we will continue on our way to Marania Camp on the edge of one of the mountain’s shoulders in heather moorland.

Distance: 8km
Hours Trekking: 4hrs
Altitude gain: 500m, 1,640ft
Overnight at Marania Camp (3,200m 10,500ft)

We will depart the camp after breakfast, walking up through the moorland back towards the peaks ahead that make up the Mount Kenya Massif. We will have a picnic lunch at the Marania Spring, which is the source of the river that runs by Marania camp and a beautiful lunch spot, especially if there are some curious zebra around. We will arrive at Major’s Camp in the afternoon, which is set up at the base of the valley near some very dramatic rock faces. Some wildlife has been known to frequent the area, previous guests have had sightings of the rare Serval cat.

Distance: 14km
Hours Trekking: 8hrs
Altitude gain: 600m, 1,970ft
Overnight at Major’s Camp (3,800m 12,470ft)

We will begin the long, gradual hike up towards the Lower Simba Tarn. This walk is definitely an experience that resembles no other, with an extremely unique lunar landscape coupled with very distinctive vegetation; this will be our first glimpse of the fabulous Giant Lobelias, particularly in the Hobley Valley, below the massifs of Terere and Sendeyo, which are named after two Maasai wise men. This vegetation is endemic to Mount Kenya with its unique adaptions to the vast day to day temperature changes. We will arrive at the Simba Tarn camp at the top of the Hobley Valley and aptly named Gorges Valley. The views from Simba Tarn camp are breathtaking, which is where we will spend the night.

Distance: 12km
Hours Trekking: 8 hrs
Altitude gain: 850m, 2,790ft
Overnight at Simba Tarn Camp (4,650m 15,255ft)

An early departure at 5:30am for a sunrise summit to Point Lenana is the best way to experience this climb and enjoy the expansive views of the mountainside, valleys, and country beyond – and on a clear morning even the summit of Kilimanjaro. Enjoy the first of the sun rays whilst sipping a nice warm drink before our descent. The descent takes us down the southern side along the Naro Moru route where we will have brunch in the Teleki Valley. Then it’s a final walk down to the MET station for collection. We will be back in the Nanyuki area by 3pm for a late lunch. Enjoy hot showers and a well-deserved rest. Stay overnight in Nanyuki.

Distance: 18km
Hours Trekking: 12hrs
Altitude gain: 335m, 1,100ft

After an early breakfast in Nanyuki drive to Nairobi and be dropped at JKIA to catch your international flight home. Depending on the international flight times spend the day in the city enjoying the various attractions on offer. This can include a visit to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Orphanage, a visit to the giraffe sanctuary and the Karen Blixen museum.