Mount Kenya - Kenya Safari Tour, Rwenzori Mountaineering Service

Mount Kenya is the second highest mountain in Africa, following Kilimanjaro Mountain Tanzania and is located 16.5 km south of the equator and north east if Nairobi (Kenya’s capital).

It is a volcanic mountain with various peaks with the high ones being; Batian 5,199 meters (17,057 ft.), Nelion 5,188 meters (17,021 ft.) and Point Lenana 4,985 meters (16,355 ft.). the mountain peaks are separated by deep valleys and glaciers like; Northey, Krapf, Gregory, Lewis (largest of all), Diamond, Darwin, Forel, Heim, Tyndall, Cesar, Josef which hikers move through to reach the summits.

The mountain is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site due to the unique vegetation. As you hike to the summit, the vegetation zones keep changing with altitude level. The lower zone is majorly forests and the alpine zone has plants like giant lobelia, scenecios, mosses and lichens among others. The central peaks are majorly rocks with a little vegetation on them.

Most of the animals live in the lower slopes of the mountain (montane and alpine zones) like; some antelope species, tree hyrax, elephants, buffalo, monkeys. A few animals like the duiker, Mount Kenya mole rat and groove toothed rats live at higher altitude. There are also various bird species that live in the Afro-alpine zone of the mountain, some of which include; sunbirds, alpine chats and starlings and the raptors like augur buzzard, lammergeier and Verreaux's eagle.

The mountain is crisscrossed with various streams and rivers and is a source to Kenya’s 2 largest rivers; river Tana and Ewaso Ngiso that are formed by the glaciers from the mountain top.

Getting to Mount Kenya

Main road access to Mount Kenya is via Nanyuki or Naro Moru, both easily accessed from Nairobi by bus/matatu or private transport. Some trekkers and climbers access the mountain from Chogoria. There is an airstrip in Nanyuki with both scheduled and charter flights available. Many trekking companies can organize transfers from Nairobi to Mt. Kenya.

Kenya Safari tours can have safari add ons like Wildlife Viewing in Masai mara , gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda with the most reliable safari company in Africa