Below The Peaks: Old Moses Camp
Mount Kenya One-Day Trips: An Overview
For hikers and nature-lovers a day out on Mount Kenya is the next best thing to heaven provided the weather is good. An early morning start from Nairobi could bring you to Meru, Timau or Nanyuki in time for breakfast. Then suitably fortified with a robust car you can reach Old Moses Camp (from Nanyuki) or the Met. Station (from Naro Moru), having checked through the gates. From Naro Moru, a well signposted mostly paved road leads 17 km to the Park entrance at 2400 ms.
If driving from Nairobi, you can also follow the signposts for the Naro Moru gate around 10 km before Naro Moru Town, following a good paved road which then joins up with the road from Naro Moru town itself. Past the entrance a paved road leads to the Met Station trailhead at 3050 ms where cars can be parked. If you prefer the popular Sirimon Route, 28 km from Nanyuki, a paved road from the gate leads to Old Moses Hut and Judmaier Camp at the roadhead at 3350 ms. The track climbs 300 ms up the hill behind the hut to a communications station.
Beyond Old Moses Camp, where there is parking space for vehicles, the hiking track splits with the left hand route proceeding to the Mackinder Valley direct, and the right hand route going via the Liki North Hut. These are normally the terminus and travellers can enjoy strolling along the paths and trails. Only fit persons should try walk further up the mountain – but the views, one you have negotiated on foot the vertical bog and reached Teleki Valley, are well worth the effort.
With not too much effort, using either Naro Moru or Sirimon Gates, you can reach the edge of the glacier before returning home. Prior arrangements must be made with the Mountain Club of Kenya if you want to stay in a hut on the mountain but there are do-it-yourself bandas at Met Station and the Sirimon Gate. Otherwise Naro Moru, Nanyuki, and Meru towns have plenty of accommodation options.
Best Vehicle Trail to Mount Kenya
The best vehicle trail penetrating the whole of the forested belt is the Sirimon track, which leaves the A1 Nanyuki-Timau road, 10 kms north-east of Nanyuki, and runs up a ridge to the ends on the moorland at an altitude just short of 13,000 feet. The most direct climbing trail which accesses the higher parts of Mount Kenya is along the Naro Moru trail, which follows the Naro Moru river and ends in a clearing at 10,000 feet. A well marked path continues up the mountain, following the Teleki valley and reaching Top Hut at 15,700 feet.
Although the highest levels on the mountain to which a vehicle can penetrate are reached on the Sirimon track, it is the Naro Mora track which provides the most direct access to the peaks; the distance from the end of this track to Top Hut is 11 km. Kamweti trail on the south side of the mountain reaches an altitude of 10,000 feet, with a link road that joins the trail to Castle Forest Station. Irangi trail on the south-east sector leads upwards from Irangi Station in Embu and ends at 7,600 ft.
Chogoria trail (or Carr’s route) is a pleasant, dry path through cedar forest up a ridge south of the Ontulili river. It gives access to the head of the Mackinder valley, and is a good but long route. The Chogoria trail leaves the Mutindua village above Chogoria to the east of the area and follows a ridge north of the Nithi river to the Urumandi Hut (10,100 ft.) at the forest edge. It continues as a well-marked path via the north ridge of the Gorges valley to Hall Tarns and then to Top Hut.
Ready to Climb Mount Kenya
In retrospect, it seems perfectly natural that anyone in good shape can conquer Mount Kenya – with its vast carpets of flawlessly layered snow spread across its peaks. If unrehearsed, however, when the climb to Mount Kenya commences, things look a little different and most people oft-times underestimate the task at hand. Which is why it is aptly advisable to attempt at least five moderate hikes
Before taking on Mount Kenya, traditionally, most people take on Kijabe Hill, Elephant Hill, Mount Kipiriri, Satima Peak and Rurimueria Hill – all near or on the Aberdare Mountain Range – as a precursor. The latter in particular helps hikers and walkers to judge the stresses of climbing up Mount Kenya and their physical limits. Having thus attempted to prepare for climbing Mount Kenya by way of hiking smaller trails, you can get in touch with Mountain Club of Kenya who organize expeditions up the mountains. There are also a few private outfits (Hikemaniak & Tipwa Tipwa) that organize group hikes to climb Mount Kenya.
Hiking in Kenya offers a diverse range of landscapes and trails, from lush forests to arid deserts, and from high-altitude mountains to scenic coastal paths. The apex hiking trail in Kenya is Mount Kenya, Africa’s second-highest peak. There are eight hiking routes about it, the most popular of these being Sirimon and Chogoria.
Index of Hiking Trails Around Kenya
Elgeyo Marakwet - Kessup Falls, Torok Falls, Embu County - Kirimiri Forest & Nthenge Njeru Falls, Irangi Trail (Mount Kenya), Homa Bay County - Homa Hills, Mount Kwitutu, Kajiado County - Ngong Hills, Mount Olorgesailie, Mount Suswa, Nguruman-Entasopia Falls, Ol Doinyo Orok, Mount Kilimanjaro, Kakamega County - Kambiri Hill, Kiambu County - Gatamaiyu Camp, Kirinyaga County - Kamuruana Hill, Kamweti Route, Kisii County - Sameta Hill, Machakos County - Ol Donyo Sabuk, Kanzalu Range, Lukenya Hills, Kiima Kimwe, Makueni County - Nzaui Range, Mbooni Hills, The Kenze Gorges, Meru County - Kaithandu Hill, Sirimon Route, Chogoria Route, Themwe Route, Marania Route, Nairobi County - Ololua Forest Trail, Karura Forest, Nakuru County - Mount Longonot, Eburru, Table Mountain, The Sleeping Warrior, Nandi County - Ngabunat Cave, Nyandarua County - Kijabe Hills, Ragia Forest Trail, Elephant Hill, Rurimeria Hill Trail, Satima Trail Aberdare Range, The Table Mountain, Kinangop Hill, Nyeri County - Njigari Forest Trail, Samburu County - Mount Ololokwe, Mount Poi, Taita Taveta County - Vuria Hill, Trans Nzoia County - Wagagai Peak, Koitoboss Peak - Mount Elgon Park
