Up the mountain’s most beautiful face and down its driest — a full traverse of Mount Kenya with no repeated ground, finishing on Point Lenana at sunrise.
This is the itinerary we recommend most often, and the one our own guides would choose. You ascend Chogoria — past Lake Ellis, the Nithi Gorge and Lake Michaelson, the most dramatic scenery on the mountain — and descend Sirimon through moorland and giant bamboo on the drier northern side.
Six days gives your body real time to acclimatise, which is the single biggest factor in whether you stand on Point Lenana or turn back. Groups on four-day itineraries summit far less often, and the difference is almost never fitness.
We collect you in Nanyuki after breakfast and drive round the eastern side of the mountain to Chogoria town, arriving for lunch. From there a 4×4 takes you up the forest track to the park gate at 2,850m — a rough road through country where elephant, buffalo and colobus monkeys are common, and leopard occasionally seen.
A short walk in the afternoon to start the acclimatisation process, then your first night on the mountain.
Meru Mount Kenya Bandas · 3,000mThe track climbs steadily out of montane forest and into open moorland. This is where Mount Kenya starts to feel like a different country: tussock grass, giant heather, and the first of the plants that grow nowhere below 3,000m.
Camp sits on the shore of Lake Ellis, with Mugi Hill and the Giant’s Billiards Table across the water. Afternoon light here is the best of the trip — bring the camera out before dinner rather than after.
Lake Ellis campsite · 3,500mThe finest walking day on the mountain. You traverse the eastern moorland along the rim of the Nithi Gorge, with Vivienne Falls dropping away below and the Gorges Valley opening out ahead.
Lunch on the rim, then up onto the ridge to Minto’s Hut, set among tarns beneath The Temple — a wall of rock with Lake Michaelson lying at its foot. It is worth the twenty-minute walk to the viewpoint before dinner.
Your guide will check how everyone is handling the altitude tonight. At 4,200m, a headache or a poor night’s sleep is normal; anything more and we adjust the plan.
Minto’s Hut campsite · 4,200mTea and biscuits before two in the morning, then out into the dark. The route climbs past Simba Tarn and Harris Tarn and up onto the summit ridge, reaching Point Lenana at 4,985m for around half past six.
On a clear morning you watch the sun come up behind you and Kilimanjaro appear on the southern horizon, 320 kilometres away. Batian and Nelion stand directly above — the technical peaks, which require ropes and a climbing guide.
Then down the northern side to Shipton’s Camp for a proper breakfast and the rest of the day off your feet.
Shipton’s Camp · 4,200mA long, steady descent through the Mackinder Valley — ancient giant lobelia and groundsel, and a good chance of rock hyrax, the only mammal that lives up here year-round and, improbably, the elephant’s closest living relative.
The peaks stay behind you most of the morning. By afternoon you are back in moorland and the air is noticeably easier to breathe.
Old Moses Camp · 3,300mThe last stretch drops 9km through montane forest and giant bamboo to Sirimon Gate at 2,650m. Take it slowly — this is the birdlife section, and after five days above the treeline the forest feels almost tropical.
Transport meets you at the gate for the transfer back to Nanyuki, arriving early afternoon.
What’s included
- Kenya Wildlife Service park fees for all six days
- KWS-certified guide, cook and porters
- All meals on the mountain, freshly cooked
- Camping accommodation along the route
- Tents, sleeping bags and walking sticks
- Transport from Nanyuki to Chogoria, and Sirimon Gate back to Nanyuki
- Drinking water throughout
What to bring
- Well-broken-in hiking boots — the most important item you own
- Warm jacket and insulated trousers for summit morning
- Waterproof jacket and over-trousers
- Warm hat, gloves and a buff or balaclava
- Sunglasses and high-factor sun cream
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Daypack for the summit push
Missing something? We rent down jackets, insulated trousers, gloves, fleeces and larger packs at USD 5 per item for the trip. Sleeping bags, walking sticks and tents are already included.
What it costs
Six days at our standard daily rate, everything above included.
Airport collection and Nairobi–Nanyuki transport available at USD 150. See our full cost breakdown for what sits outside the daily rate.
Book the Chogoria–Sirimon Traverse
Tell us your dates and group size and we will send a day-by-day plan built around them.
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