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The Mount Kenya Summit Circuit is a six-day trek that circles the jagged peaks of Nelion (5188m) and Batian (5199m) before summiting Point Lenana (4985m), the third trekking peak. It is a unique route that includes all of the mountain’s cols, ridges, and glaciers. It is more difficult than the other routes, with some long days on rocky trails and camping along the way. It’s a quiet route with fewer people, and it’s especially dramatic in places where the two main summit spires seem to overhang parts of the trail, looking like giant cathedrals of rock as you look up.
The itinerary is based on beginning in Naro Moru and ending in Chogoria town, but we are flexible with any travel needs or additional accommodations. We would also recommend visiting some of the Moving Mountains projects on Mount Kenya’s lower slopes.
If you are flying into Kenya, we can assist with airport transfers to Naro Moru. Evening arrivals will require at least one night in Nairobi before transferring up to Naro Moru on the west side of Mt Kenya to meet the guides and porters, who all live in the area and can meet you whatever day you arrive. There is a lot to see and do in Nairobi and Naro Moru, and we can help you arrange extra nights of accommodation, city tours in Nairobi, or day trips and Moving Mountains project visits in Naro Moru. We're happy to discuss all options to ensure your time in Kenya is everything and more than you expected.
Today, all of the guides and porters will meet us in Naro Moru, and we will load the vehicle(s) for the short 15-kilometer drive up to Mount Kenya National Park's Naro Moru gate. As we sign in, we often see baboons and bushbuck roaming around the area, and then we head off along the vehicle track through the bamboo and hardwood forest. We will stop for a picnic lunch before continuing on up to our first camp at Met Station, which is located near the edge of the forest where buffalo frequently come out overnight to graze.
We continue on the vehicle track from Met Station before taking a footpath through the Hygenia forest and then out onto the more open heathland. The view back over the treetops and down to the plains beyond is spectacular from here. The heath and moorland continue, with Giant Cabbage Groundsel and Giant Lobelia Deckenii as we make our way up past the over-dramatically named 'Vertical Bog' to picnic rocks for lunch. We continue on the moorland for a little longer after lunch, before joining the edge of the Teleki Valley and winding between Giant Tree Groundsel and Ostrich Plume Lobelia, and then onto grasses in the valley floor as we cross a river and follow it on a gentle approach to our next camp, MacKinders Hut, on an outcrop of moraine.
After breakfast at MacKinders Camp, we climb up to Hut Tarn, which sits right on the edge of the upper Teleki Valley and provides a great view of the main summits and glaciers. Continue past Nanyuki Tarn and towards the Eastern Terminal before dropping down to Oblong and Hausberg Tarns, past the Kami Tarn, and down to Shiptons Camp (4,200m).
An interesting day hike from Shiptons Camp to find the skeleton of Icy Mike, the elephant who attempted to climb Mt Kenya! We begin our descent from Shiptons Camp by contouring around and up towards the peak of Sendeyo, where we drop into a wide couloir above the Hinde Valley. We can return to Shiptons Camp via the same route or complete a circuit by dropping lower into the Hinde Valley, contouring to the south, and then south west for the long climb up to Simba Col.
We started downhill again this morning. The path on this less-used trail can be quite hazy at first, but we generally follow the line of a watercourse until we reach the 4x4 track that leads us down to the forest boundary. We have the option of going straight down to the Meru bandas (cabins) or taking a detour around to the beautiful Nithi Falls. Back at the bandas, or shortly after, we'll meet our 4x4s for the drive back down through the forest to Chogoria town.
