Details

 Mount Kenya National Park – Come touch the sky

Climbing to 5,199 meters, Mount Kenya is the second tallest mountain in Africa. The scenery surrounding this designated World Heritage Site is breath-taking. It is pristine wilderness with lakes, tarns, glaciers, dense forest, mineral springs and a selection of rare and endangered species of animals, high altitude adapted plains game and unique montane and alpine vegetation. Visitors can enjoy mountain climbing, camping and caving with the mountain’s rugged glacier-clad peaks providing the perfect backdrop.

Park size

The park covers 700 sq. km (270 sq. mi). Its vertical border begins at 3200m (11,000 ft) and extends up to 5199m (17,058 ft), including the mountain’s peaks. The area surrounding the park is designated as the Mt. Kenya Reserve.

Location

Mt. Kenya lies 175 km (108 mi) north of Nairobi and its northern section borders the equator.

Best time to visit

The best climbing is during the two dry seasons – January/February and August/September. During the two rainy seasons, the trails are more difficult, and the visibility is poor.

Because Mt. Kenya is more or less a vertical park, the climate changes as you ascend the mountain. Expect big temperature changes between the day and night, with lows at 4oC/39oF. Owing to its elevation, the mountain tends to be wet.

 

Getting there

You can book a tour with Jadestone Africa Travels from Nairobi. The park is reached on the Nanyuki-Isiolo road.

  • Roads

175 Kms from Nairobi, the park can be reached on Nanyuki-Isiolo road via Sirimon Track or Nyeri-Nanyuki road near Naro Moru. The park is also reachable via Chogoria on the Embu – Meru road, about 150km north of Nairobi.

Mountain climbing routes without an official gate include:

    • Kamweti
    • Marania
    • Burguret
    • Themwe
  • Airstrips: The closest commercial airstrip to the park is at Nanyuki

Attractions

  • Pristine wilderness, lakes, tarns, glaciers and peaks of great beauty, geological variety, forest, mineral springs, rare and endangered species of animals, High altitude adapted plains game, Unique montane and alpine vegetation with 11 species of endemic pl