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Kenya Wildlife Safaris Mount Kenya National Park East Africa
An extinct volcano some 3.5 million years old,Mount Kenya is Africa's second-highest mountain,with two jagged peaks.Formed from the remains of a gigantic volcano plug_it rose more than 7000m above sea level until a million years ago_most of its erupted lava and ash has been eroded by glacial to create the distinctive craggy silhouette.The peaks are permanently iced with snow and glaciers,the latter under retreat due to climate change.On the upper slopes, altitude and the equatorial location combine to nurture forms of vegetation,seemingly designed by some 1950s science-fiction writer that exist only here and at some one or two other lofty places in East Africa.When you first see them it's hard to believe the "water-holding cabbage",ostreich plume plant,or "giant groundsel".
European first heard about the mountain when the German missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf saw it in 1849,but his stories of snow on the equator were not taken seriously.But in 1883, the young Scottish traveler,Joseph Thompsons,confirmed its existence to the outside world.The Kikuyu, Maasai and other communities living in the region had venerated the mountain for centuries,and park rangers still occasionally report finding elderly Kikuyu high up on the moorlands,drawn by the presence of God_Ngai_whose dwelling place this is.It is not known however whether anyone had scaled the peaks before Sir Halford Mackinder reached the higher of the two,Batian in 1899.Another thirty years passed before Nelion,a tougher summit was conquered. Both were named after Mackinder's expedition
after 19th century Maasai Laibon,or ritual leaders.
The KWS-managed national park encloses all parts of the mountain above 3200m plus salients down the Naro Moru and Sirimon streams,and inside this areas fees have to be paid, and strict rules control your activities.Outside this zone,surrounding the national park,lies the Mount Kenya National Reserve,in which your movements are normally only limited by your inclinations and equipment(though on some access roads like the one for Mountain Lodge fees are payable even in reserve).
Climbing Mount Kenya
There are four main routes up Mount Kenya.From the west, the Naro Moru trail provides the shortest and the steepest way to the top.The Burguret and Sirimon trails from the northwest are less well trodden;Sirimon has a reputation for lots of wildlife,while Burguret passes through a long stretch of dense forest.The fourth trail, Chogoria,is a beautiful,much longer ascent up the eastern flank of the mountain,on which you have to carry tents.In practice, Naro Moru,Chogoria and Sirimon account for nearly all the hikes;if you want to use any other route you have to inform the warden in advance.
The technical peaks of Batian(5199m)and Nelion(5189m) are accessible only to experienced,well equipped mountaineers,and the easiest route is Grade IV,making them a lot more testing,for example,than most of the routes up the mountain.If you want to climb these peaks you should join the Mountain Club of Kenya,who will put you in touch with the right people,and can give reductions on hut fees and other accommodation charges.
Anyone who is reasonably fit can have a crack at the third highest peak, Point Lenana(4985m).This climb however has acquired a reputation of being fairly easy,and lots of people set off quite unprepared for high-altitude living.Indeed a quarter of attempts fail for this reason.Above about 4000m the mountain is often foggy or windy and freezing cold,wickedly so after dark.The air is thin and it rains or snows, at least briefly, almost everyday, though most of precipitation comes at night.
Mount Kenya's weather is notoriously unpredictable.There are days that its fairly clear and even during rainy seasons, but driving up the muddy roads to the park gates may be nearly impossible.If its really bad, you probably wont be allowed it anyway.The most reliable months are February and August, although January and most of July can be fine,too.
National Park Rules
KWS operates a sign in/sign out and you register your details and plans at the gate of entry.This is where you pay fees for your anticipated stay.You can change your plans once on the mountain or extend your stay and pay the balance on departure, but you must leave by one of the three main gates; the Naro Moru,Sirimon,or Chogoria, and formally sign out.It's a bad idea to use any alternative exit:KWS will look for you and alternatively organize an air search for if you fail to show up.Stories spread of people being pursued to Nairobi and beyond for non-payment of huge rescue service bills.
Costs, guides and porters
Climbing Mount Kenya is a fairly expensive business, though still significantly cheaper than Kilimanjaro.Note that the smallest party allowed to hike in the mountain is two people,which in practice means solo independent travellers have to team up or hire a tour guide/porter.Every guide need to have an official KWS guiding permit.Ask to see it and don't be fobbed off with local guiding association cards.It's best to agree on terms in writing in advance and to pay half or two-thirds of the wages up front and the balance on safe delivery back to base.You can hire guides and porters in Naro Moru at Naro Moru River Lodge or the Mount Kenya guides and porters safari club.Also n Nanyuki at the Jambo House Hotel and in Chogoria at the Joywood Hotel.
What to bring
Above all it's essential to bring a really warm sleeping bag, ideally with an additional liner and/or a Gore-Tex bivouac bag, capable of keeping you warm below freezing point.One thick sweater or better still several thinner ones and either a wind proof jacket or a down-or fibre-filled ones are also essential, as is a change of foot wear, as you're bound to have wet feet at the end of each day.Gloves and a balaclava or a woolly hat are also handy.A light cagoule or anorak is good to have, as is a set or two of thermal underwear for the often shivering nights.Atorch, ideally a wind-up one is essential if you are trekking without a guide.
An emergency foil blanket is advisable, weighs next to nothing and packs down very small.Another prerequisite is a stove,as you'll be miserable without regular hot drinks.Firewood is not available and cannot be collected once you enter the park(no burning is allowed).For food,dehydrated soup and chocolate are perhaps the most useful. The Naro Moru River Lodge has arental shop where you can get just about anything, though ant prices that would make you wish you would have simply bought it in Nairobi.
Altitude and Health
The various ascents themselves are mostly just steep hikes, if rough under foot in parts.It's the altitude rather than the climb that may stop you reaching the top.Much more relevant the training programmes that some people embark on is giving yourself enough time to acclimatize, so that your body has a chance to produce extra oxygen-carrying red blood cells.Above 3000-4000m,you will be well outside your normal comfort zone and is likely to notice the effect of altitude.You may want to take Diamox(acetazolamide)to speed up acclimatization and keep painkillers handy for headaches, which are fairly normal at first, especially at night.Keeping your fluid intake as high as possible will also help_3 to 5 litres a day is recommended.Most water sources on the mountain are said to be safe(one or two exceptions are noted).Its best to avoid alcohol while climbing.
The effects of altitude can be avoided if you take your time on the trek, as minor symptoms gradually disappear.Goin up the Naro Moru route, you shouldn't attempt to climb from the base of the mountain(that is, from Naro Moru town at 2000m) to Point Lenana(Just under 5000m)in less than 72 hours.Five or six days are better especially if you've just arrived in Kenya and are used to living at sea-level.Assuming you allow a day to get down again, giving yourself a week for the whole is a good idea.Always aim to climb for an hour or two higher than the altitude you slept at; alternatively, spend two nights at the same altuitude.
The symptoms of altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness, vary between individuals and appear unrelated to how fit you are_indeed fit young men often suffer the most acute symptoms.If you climb too fast, extreme breathlessness, nausea, disorientation and even slurred speech are all possible.If someone in your group shows signs of being seriously tired and weak, you should descend a few hundred meters.If the symptoms develop into unsteadiness on the feet and drowsiness, descend rapidly until the symptoms improve.The effects of altitude especially on bodies tuned only to sea-level, are remarkable and they can quickly become very dangerous and even fatal if high-altitude pulmonary or cerebral oedema(water in the lungs or brain cavity)develop.
Accomodation
With a tent you can camp anywhere in the park, the only practical advantage of the campsites at the Met station Bandas, Mackinders and various other designated campsites being water pipes and long-drop toilets. Accommodation on the park includes some basic lodges with basic facilities and a number of rudimentary mountain huts which provides little more than shelter and bare bunks.
On the Naro Moru route the KWS run self service Batian Guest House at 2400m near the park gate needs to be booked in advance while the Met station Bandas and Mackinders camp at 4200m are owned by Naro Moru River Lodge and can be booked in advance as well as on arrival if there's space.
On the Sirimon route, the KWS run sirimon bandas at 2650m just outside the gate together with a campsite ,while Old Moses camp at 3400m and Shipton's camp at 4230m are owned by bantu mountain lodge and offer basic accommodation.Book in advance or pay on site.
Just before the departure point for the camping on Chogoria route, there is banda accommodation at Meru Mount Kenya Lodge at 3015m.Austrian hut(4785m)and Liki North Hut(3990) are owned by KWS and you should reserve in advance or pay at the gate.Ausrian is usually staffed by KWS rangers.A number of other huts in various states of repair, are owned by the MCK and reserved for their members.
The Naro Moru Route
The earth road between Naro Moru town and the road-head at the meteorological station is 26-kilometer haul.There are no regular matatus; private transport with a driver, booked with Naro Moru River Lodge will set you.If you walk, you may get a paying lift some of the way, but the very light traffic thins out as you head east and if you don't get transport past the youth hostel after 9km, you should allow five hours to walk the rest of the way.Another 9km beyond the youth hostel, you come to the park gate and usually a few buffalo chewing the cud on the lawn.
From the park gate to the meteorological station
From then park gate,you leave the conifer plantations and occasional shambas behind as the road twists and climbs through thick forest into a zone of colossal bamboo.Look for elephants and particularly buffalos as you walk this stretch, though you'll often just see their droppings and footprints.If you find buffalo on the path, you're supposed to lob stones at them, and they'll move out of the way.Much safer is the tried and trusted "retreat steadily without taking your eyes off them" approach.
The final ascent to the Met Station is a three-kilometer series of steep hairpins usually driveable only in a 4WD(and often not at all when wet).You start to get some magnificent views out over the plains from here, while right under your nose you may find a three horned chameleon,stalking cautiously through the foliage like a miniature dinosaur.The high forest is their favourite habitat._the melanistic form of the leopard found at high altitudes_can occasionally be seen in this area.
With an early start, it's physically perfectly possible to reach Mackinder's camp in one day, but unless you already well acclimatized, you'll probably feel very below the par by the time you get there.It's far much better to take it easy and get used to the Met station's 3050m altitude, or if you have tent, climb an hour or so up to the tree line and camp there.The mountains weather is another good reason tom stop at the Met station.After mid-day, it often gets foul, and the infamous vertical bog(not far beyond the Met station) is no fun at all in the heavy drizzle and twenty-meter visibility.
The Teleki Valley and Point Lenana
An early start from the Met station should see you at Mackinder's by lunchtime, before the clouds start to thicken up.In fair weather, the vertical bog en route is not as daunting as it sounds: you keep to the left of the red and white marker where it isn't wet.In wet conditions, however, it can be ghastly, as the resotte plants hold just enough icy water to reach certain parts in a bracing manner whenever you slip.As you reach the bog, you enter another vegetation zone, that of giant heather.Beyond and above the bog, the path follows a ridge high above the Teleki valley with the peaks straight ahead, rising brilliantly over a landscape that seems to have nothing in common with the hazy plain below.
For Mackinder's,you follow the contours across the valley side and jump, or cross by stepping stones, over the snowmelt northern Naro Moru stream.The camp at 4200m, virtually at the head of Teleki valley, is along stone and a concrete bunkhouse.Certainly no hotel, it does at least provide some warmth and the company of other climbers, kikuyu guides and porters.The peaks of Nelion and Batian tower magnificently over the valley, with a third pinnacle Point John even closer.There's usually a fresh icing of snow every morning, but early sunlight melts most of it by midday.
If you want to climb straight to Point Lenana, you are likely to find at least one group leaving with a guide around 2am the following morning.Leaving this early with a three-five-hour hike ahead of you, allows you to get to the summit before dawn for a fabulous view, in the right conditions, from Northern Kenya on one side and Kilimanjaro on the other.If you're planning to go without a guide it's safest to scramble straight up the ridge to point Lenana from the Austrian Hut rather than cross the unpredictable vestiges of the Lewis glacier without proper equipment.
It's not advisable to rush into doing this final ascent.For most people, day three is better spent getting acclimatized in the Teleki valley, and not making the climb to point Lenana until the morning of the fourth day.Note thamt spending your third night on the mountain at Austrian Hut, just below point Lenana ,is not a good idea if you're not used to the alttitude, for it can be a nightmare,literally.
The descent doesn't take long.After summiting, you can get all the way down to Naro Moru in one day, assuming you have transport arranged at the Met station or you find a lift there.If you're not ready to go straight back, you can do the circular hikes around the peaks.
The Chogoria Route
The Chogoria trail is scenically superior to the others, but it's also the longest route.You should allow a minimum of five days from Chogoria village up to point Lenana and down the west side of Naro Moru, or six days if you're returning to Chogoria.Note that the Chogoria route is a camping-only-trek: you'll have to show your tents for the party when passing through the park gate.
Up to the park entrance
The road from Karaa/Kiriani meets the one from Chogoria 5km west of the highway at a rural junction hamlet called Mutindwa.From here,it's about 26km to the park gate.En route some 2km from Mutindwa at Chogoria forest station, there's a descent campsite(firewood available), dominated by a fine, huge-leaved Anthocleista zambesiaca tree.
If you're driving,4WD is vital on steep track, but even with it, getting up to the park gate in wet weather can't be guaranteed.If you haven't got your own vehicle, you can charter transport at the Transit Motel or elsewhere in Chogoria.It's a good idea not to pay in full until you get to the park gate.You may prefer to walk in any case as it helps you to acclimatize.There's exciting dense rainforest along much of the road, and your likely to see colobus monkeys, hyena, buffalo and lots of elephant dung.The next available campsite is the only clearing in the forest, at a place called Bairunyi clearing,15km further up the track, with no water.The National's Park Chogoria Gate is 9km further up the increasingly steep and rough track, flanked by giant, creeking bamboo forest.
Meru Mount Kenya Lodge and the Road-head
Its very good and beautifully located bandas are just before the gate.Firewood is available for the fire places in each banda, and there's a basic shop that usually serves beer.The lodge is often visited by buffalos and you can sometimes see elephants at the nearby water holes.If you're not staying at the bandas and it's time to break of for the day you can camp by the gate;alternatively follow the main track up from the park gate and you'll come to a special campsite with running water and toilet(reserved by KWS).
Both the main track and the side branch, via the site of the old Urumandi hut eventually meet up at the road-head, 7km further on.The side branch is the more interesting walk, but is tougher on vehicles.The road-head with a small parking area, is on the north side of the Nithi stream and there's another very pleasant campsite here, with good stream water.
There are good walks round about, useful for acclimatizing to the 3000-meter plus altitude.Short scrambles from the road-head take you to the four sets of water falls at Nithi falls, while longer walks(3-6hr round trip take you to Mugi Hill, Lake Elis and the flat-topped peak known as the Giant's Billiard Table or mount Kilingo.
Minto's Point to Lenana
From the road-head(a 3-hour trek from Meru Mount Kenya Lodge), all wheels are abandoned as you slog on foot up towards Minto's Hut, a six-hour stint away in the high moorlands.The route tracks along the axis of an ascending ridge, then flattens onto the rim of the spectacular Gorges Valley, carved deep by glaciations.There are unobstructed and encouraging views up to the peaks as you hug the contours of the valley wall.
Minto's hut at 4300m is,like Mackinder's on the west side of the mountain.Situated by the four small Hall Tarns, it's perched above the larger Lake Michaelson at the head of the valley below_a very beautiful place,inspiringly set off by giant groundsel, lobelia plants and weird volcanic formations inhabited by rock hyraxes.The hut is only for porters.Beware of the tarn water which is not pure; boiling it at the altitude will kill fewer bugs than usual(water boils at 85-90oc)so you'd better use purifying tablets or iodine.
On the morning of day three you have two options.The first is to head up to the ridge west of Minto's and follow it, through pretty scenery to Simba Tarn, below Simba Col. From there head due south around the peaks and pas t little Square Tarn before turning right to follow the contours for a tough kilometer to the so-called Curling Pond(matches have been held on the ice here)and Austrian hut.If you're thinking of a short cut straight up to Square Tarn, note that it's very steep.Alternatively from Minto's, make for the base of the ridge extending east from Point Lenana, then tackle the cruel scree slope to the south for 90min scramble up to a saddle,followed by a straight drop to the head of the Hobley Valley with its two tarns.From here it's just an hour across to the base of Lenana Ridge, behind which again, is Austrian hut.
Considering the altitude, a safer and probably more comfortable option would be to spend a night, acclimatizing at the base of Simba Tarn,followed by a pre-dawn assault on point Lenana on day four.After the climb to Lenana, you have a 90min descent from Ausrian hut, tracking back and forth over miserable scree, to the Teleki Tarn at the head of the Naro Moru stream.Mackinder's and the scent of civilization,is just an hour down the valley.But if you can resist that lure, and it's still early in the day, and if you have enough food and water, you can continue around the west side of the peak to Hut Tarn, then up and down over the ridges to the site of former Kami Hut, at the head of the Sirimon route on the north side.If you want to do it, and you feel acclimatized, there's no problem making it from Minto's to Point Lenana and on down to the Met station in one day.
The Sirimon Route
The Sirimon route leads up from the A2 highway from a point some 14km east of Nanyuki.The route climbs over the northern moorlands, giving superb views of the main peaks as well as the twin lesser peaks of Terere(4714m)and Sendeyo(4704m), which have small glaciers of their own.Accommodation consists of the Sirimon Bandas and campsites at the gate, Old Moses camp at the road-head(3400m up and accessible only by 4WD),the porters' Liki North Hut at 3990m(with camping nearby) and Shipton's camp bunkhouses at 4200m.
There are certain advantages in using this route:it's the driest route, the scenery is more open, and it's renowned for wildlife.Bantu Mountain Lodge offers all-inclusive guided tours up to Point Lenana using this route, as do other Naro Moru and Nanyuki operators. Independent trekking is fine if you're in a group, but if you're looking to team up with others, you're much more likely to find company here than on the Chogoria or Naro Moru routes as, apart from the huddle of dukas on the highway, 9km below the park gate,there isn't any real base to start from.
Treks Around the Peaks
Though most people head straight up to Point Lenana, trekking round the peaks is even a more exhilarating experience, with the bonus of exploring some of the tarns and glacial valleys on the north side.It is reckoned to be easier to do this anticlockwise in two or three days.If you want to this in one day, however, set off clockwise from Mackinder's via the site of the former Two Tarn Hut next to Hut Tarn, set in a glorious and eerily silent col beneath the glaciers and scree.If you're fairly fit and acclimatized, the walk round here should take eight to ten hours.Both the Two Tarn Hut and Kami Hut have been demolished but you can still camp at both sites.
Other Routes:Burguret and Kamweti
The trails described above represent only the most obvious and well-trodden of the mountain's hiking possibilities.Bantu Mountain Lodge's preferred route used to follow the Burguret River up from the lodge through thick bamboo forest and moorland, but this is now mostly overgrown and difficult to follow without a guide.The lower trail passes a clutch of caves described as the "Mau Mau conference center"(the lodge offers half-day hikes or mountain-bike trips on this trail).
The southern flanks of the mountain seem to have largely escaped notice of hikers, but there are several forest stations in the vicinity of Embu and plenty of scope for exploration.Most of the southern slopes were a designated" Kikuyu reserve"during the colonial period, so few European climbers created routes here, but the Kamweti route from Castle Forest Lodge is one that is becoming popular.
Arrival
Nanyuki's airfield is 9km south of the town center on the way to Naro Moru and have several scheduled flights to and from Nairobi.It's also the home of local charter company Tropic Air and has a very pleasant bar-restaurant and the excellent Laikipia Wildlife Forum info center and Laikipia outpost shop, where you can pick up gifts and essential leaflets on regional attractions and accommodation.Aside from plenty of matatu transport, Nanyuki also has a rail link to Nairobi with one service every weekend.
There are ATMs at KCB,Barclays and Standard Chartered, all in the town center.For the internet,try Max Global next to Marina grill or the cyber café at the equatorial supermarket.If you're looking for tour guides and porters insist on card-carrying KWS personnel. Wondering around Nanyuki's small shops is quite fun.Juttsons Ltd is the main bookseller and stationer, and they have good local knowledge, while Mitimayo Crafts shop, next to banrclays, has superior bric-a-brac, crafts and souvenirs.
ACCOMMODATION
You can camp at the Kongoni camp and usually at the sportsman's Arms.Also bear in mind that Naro Moru is only a twenty-minute drive awa, and that there are some good places to stay and eat between the two town centers.
- Sportsman's Arm north side of town. An old establishment with various parts renovated, improved or neglected.The old cottages ooze atmosphere but main-block rooms and newer cottages are better equipped, though not with nets or air conditioning.Decent-sized out door pool, hot tub and sauna(residents only).Weekend discos can be tempting if you're a light sleeper.
- Joskaki Lumumba St. Vast, corridor-riddled warren that can be indescribably noisy when the bar is open all night or there's a disco.Small rooms, no nets and uncertain hot water, but the food ca be excellent and there are rooftop views of the town and occasionally Mount Kenya.Worth paying extra for a bigger(and if possible quieter) room.
The Town
NANYUKI has the dual distinction of being Kenya's air-force town as well as playing host to British Army's training and operations center. And although it has taken in thousand of refugees in recent decades, escaping from rural poverty and ethnic violence, it nevertheless remains very much a country town in atmosphere, and an oddly charming one. A wide tree-lined main street and the mild climate lent by its 2000m altitude bestow an unfamiliar cool spaciousness that seems to reinforce its colonial character :shops lining the road include the modern sanitary stores(aka Modsan;they sell camping gas)and the settlers store.
The first party of settlers arrived in the district in 1907 to find "several old Maasai manyattas, a great deal of game and nothing else".Nanyuki is still something of a settler's town and European locals are always around. The animals, sadly, are not.Although you may see few grazers on the plains, the vast herd of zebras that once roamed the banks of the Ngare Nanyuki(Maasai for Red River)were decimated by hunters seeking hides, by others seeking meat(particularly during World War II, when eighty thousand Italian prisoners of war were fed on a pound of meat each day), but most of all by ranchers protecting their pastures.
As the zebra herds dwindled, soothe lions became a greater threat to livestock sand the predators retreated, under fire to mountain forests and moors. These days the non-profit Animal Orphanage and Wildlife Conservancy at Mount Kenya Safari Club is doing good work with waif and strays and has an active bongo breeding programme which is now working on reintroductions.A recommended local visit is to the Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers workshop, located about 1km down the Nyahururu road, on the left. This women's group employ up to 130 local women and sells their rugs and blankets, woven on hand looms, at decent prices. They appreciate visitors.
About the Author
Anthony Mmeri is the Editor and Tours Director at Wings Over Africa Safaris Limted.
This is a Tours & Travel Company that specializing In Mountain Climbing,Road Safaris,Filming Safaris & Birding Safaris Mount Kenya National Park Kenya ,East Africa. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http:// / www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/services/tourist-flights.html