Mount Kenya Technical Climb, Nelion and Batian Peak

Pick up from Nairobi airport or Nairobi hotel for transfer to Bantu Rock Lodge for lunch.

In the afternoon, take a nature walk (3-4 hours) through the forest to the MauMau caves, the former hideouts for Kenya's pre-independence guerrillas. You’ll be accompanied by a naturalist guide who will explain more about the flora and fauna of the forest.

Dinner and overnight at Mountain Rock Lodge.

Leave the lodge by 10:00am together with your guide and porters and drive for approx. two hours to Sirimon Park gate (2,600m). After completing the park entry formalities and enjoying a picnic lunch, begin a 3-4-hour hike through the forested foothills of the mountain.

Today’s walk will see you climb 700m through the bamboo, rosewood and heather zones to Old Moses camp. The forest and bamboo are home to buffalo, elephant, bushbuck and a plethora of bird species.

Dinner and overnight at Old Moses Camp
(3,300m).

A long day leading to the base of the high peaks, as you trek through the moorlands and the Mackinder Valley, with good views of the main peaks and a brief stop for picnic lunch. Total walking time is approx. 7 hours, gaining 900m in altitude.

Dinner and overnight at Shipton's Hut (4,200m).

Today is an acclimatization day. There will be the option to trek to Hausberg Col for fabulous views and acclimatization, or to Point John, one of Mount Kenya’s lesser peaks, where you can practice rope work and abseiling in preparation for the start of your technical climb to Nelion on the morrow.

Nelion Peak Preparation: Early morning trek (3-4 hours) to reach Point Lenana (4,985m), the trekkers’ summit, in time to watch the sunrise. On a clear day, you can see the snow-capped summit of Mount Kilimanjaro miles away to the south.

Then, continue round and down to Austrian Hut (4,790m) where we
spend the rest of the day preparing for the technical climb of Nelion peak.

Wake up at 4 am and have some tea and biscuits. Take the 2-hour trek to cross the Lewis Glacier and up to the Base of Nelion. Embark on the 6-hour rock-climbing expedition to Nelion Peak (5188 meters).

Traverse the gate of mist to Batian Peak (5199 meters); the highest peak on Mount Kenya. Climb back to the Nelion Peak. Dinner and overnight at Ian Howell Hut (5,100 meters).

Full board

On this day, if the weather was not conducive on the previous day, we proceed to undertake the climbing activities that we might have missed. This day is crucial because of the unpredictable weather in October.

Dinner and overnight either at Howell Hut or Meru Bandas depending on the activities of the day.

Abseil down to the bottom about 9 ropes, 50 meters and then walk to the Austrian Hut (4,790 meters) for Breakfast. Take the descent through the Chogoria route to the Meru Bandas (2,950 meters) for lunch before being picked at the park gate for your transfer to Nairobi.

Arrival Nairobi in the late afternoon and you are dropped off either at your Nairobi Hotel or at Jomo Kenyatta Airport