Mount Kenya is an extinct glacier-covered volcano straddling the equator. At 17,057 feet, it is the second-highest mountain in Africa behind Kilimanjaro. Point Lenana at 16,355 feet is the destination of most visitors to the mountain. The Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves are located about 200 miles north of Nairobi on opposite sides of the Ewaso Nyiro River. The reserves are home to elephants, buffalos, and all three of Africa’s large cats, lions, leopards, and cheetahs.
9-Day Mount Kenya - Samburu Wilderness Safari
Mount Kenya is an extinct glacier-covered volcano straddling the equator. At 17,057 feet, it is the second-highest mountain in Africa behind Kilimanjaro. Point Lenana at 16,355 feet is the destination of most visitors to the mountain. The Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves are located about 200 miles north of Nairobi on opposite sides of the Ewaso Nyiro River. The reserves are home to elephants, buffalos, and all three of Africa’s large cats, lions, leopards, and cheetahs.
You will be picked up from the airport by our company representative and driven to your hotel. If you arrive on an early flight, we'll get you lunch and do some site seeing in in the "city under the sun" (Nairobi) which is nestled at 1795m. You may visit the Nairobi National Museum which will give you a good introduction to Kenya. Later, you'll have dinner in one of Nairobi's restaurants.
You will check out after breakfast and depart heading north towards Mt. Kenya and the small town of Naromoru right at the western edge of the mountain. Our destination is Batians View Experiential Education Center and campsite which will be your base for climbing the mountain. It is situated in a beautiful wooded area next to the Naro Moru River on the lower slopes of Mount Kenya. All our climbs of Mount Kenya originate here. Here, you will meet your guide and porters and your gear will be checked to make sure you have everything you need to stay safe and comfortable while on the mountain.
From Batians View, it is a short drive to the Naromoru gate which is the beginning of the Naromoru trail. This is the trail that will take you to the peaks. After processing your park entry, you will set off for the first campsite at Met station. It is located in a small clearing in the bamboo forest at an altitude of 10,000ft. Accommodation is in mountain huts.
Your hike will begin in the bamboo and Hagenia forest, ascending through areas of giant heath onto the alpine zone popularly known as the moorland. Here, you will encounter tussock grass, giant groundsels, and lobelia plants which are adapted to this unique environment. It has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Mackinders Camp is located at the upper edge of this zone. Accommodation is in mountain huts. You will attempt to summit Point Lenana from here.
Point Lenana, at an altitude of 16,355 feet, is the destination of most visitors to the mountain. It is the third highest peak and can be done by anyone in good physical condition without any technical training or equipment. You can choose to do a dawn ascent in which case you leave very early to try and catch the sunrise at the summit or do a day summit. After the summit, you will hike back down to the Mackinders and spend the day relaxing and enjoying the beautiful sights the mountain has to offer.
You will leave early after breakfast for the descent back to Met station where you will be picked up and driven to Batians View. After hot showers and a meal, you will be briefed on Samburu National Reserve, which is where you will be heading the following day.
You will depart after breakfast heading north through the towns of Nanyuki and Isiolo to Archer's post on the banks of Ewaso Nyiro river. It is a three-hour drive, arriving there early afternoon just in time for a game drive. These reserves have an arid to semi-arid climate. Several large dry-country mammal species common to Kenya’s northern plains can be found here. These include gerenuks, Grevy’s zebras, oryx, and reticulated giraffes. Birdlife is abundant here with over 450 species having been identified. Among them are the African darter, white-headed vulture, martial eagle, yellow-billed oxpecker, Pigmy falcon, pale chanting goshawk, Somali ostrich, vulturine guinea fowl, Von de Decken’s hornbill, golden-breasted starling and many varieties of bee-eaters. The reserves are also home to elephants, buffalos, and all three of Africa’s large cats, lions, leopards, and cheetahs.
The climate of the area is arid to semi-arid and the days can be quite hot while the nights can be cool. The practice is to go on early morning and late afternoon game drives to catch the animals when they are at their most active. Several large dry-country mammal species common to Kenya’s northern plains can be found here. These include gerenuk, Grevy’s zebras, oryx, and reticulated giraffes. Birdlife is abundant here with over 450 species having been identified. The reserve is also home to elephants, buffalos, and all three of Africa’s large cats, lions, leopards, and cheetahs.
You will depart after breakfast for Nairobi with a lunch stop in Nanyuki town. You'll be dropped off at JKIA.
