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The peaks of Mount Kenya above the moorland
Parc national

Mount Kenya

Africa's second highest mountain, rising to 5,199 metres through forest, bamboo and giant lobelia moorland. Mount Kenya National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site about three hours north of Nairobi.

Créé en 1949
Superficie 715 km²
Route depuis Nairobi 3.5 heures
Vol 45 minutes
Meilleurs mois January to February, August to September

Mount Kenya National Park protects the upper slopes of Africa's second highest mountain. The twin summits, Batian at 5,199 metres and Nelion just below it, are technical climbs. Point Lenana, at 4,985 metres, is the summit most trekkers reach.

The mountain gave the country its name, and on a clear morning you can see it from the plains of Laikipia and from Ol Pejeta, a snow-streaked outline above the rhino country.

What Mount Kenya National Park is for

Giant lobelia and groundsel on the slopes of Mount Kenya
Giant lobelia, one of the plants that grows only on the high East African mountains

Three kinds of visit, really.

  • A trek to Point Lenana. Usually four or five days on the Sirimon, Naro Moru or Chogoria routes, with porters and a mountain guide.
  • A forest day. Walks in the lower forest for colobus, Sykes' monkeys and birds, with the chance of elephant and buffalo on the tracks.
  • The view. A stay in the Laikipia conservancies, with the mountain as the backdrop to a rhino safari.

When to go

The driest months are January and February, then August and September. These are the best months to trek. The long rains from March to May make the upper routes wet and the forest tracks hard going, and November brings the short rains.

Ol Pejeta with Mount Kenya behind
Mount Kenya from the plains of Ol Pejeta, a few hours from the park gates

Nights above 4,000 metres are below freezing in every month.

Getting there

Nanyuki, Naro Moru and Chogoria are the usual starting points. By road they are about three to four hours from Nairobi, much of it on good tarmac. Light aircraft fly to Nanyuki in about 45 minutes.

Combining it with a safari

A black-and-white colobus in the canopy
A black-and-white colobus in the forest on the lower slopes

Mount Kenya sits between the central highlands and the northern parks, so it fits naturally into a longer trip. Our five-day safari with Ol Pejeta, Lake Naivasha and the Masai Mara spends its Ol Pejeta days beneath the mountain, and Samburu is a few hours further north. The Aberdare range lies just to the west.

We do not yet run a fixed Mount Kenya trek. Tell us what you have in mind and we will plan it with a mountain guide.

Contexte

Pourquoi Mount Kenya existe

Créé en 1949. Ce qu'il devait protéger, et ce qui le menace aujourd'hui.

Mount Kenya National Park was gazetted in 1949, and the mountain and its surrounding forest became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The listing was extended in 2013 to include the Lewa and Ngare Ndare corridor to the north, which lets elephants move between the mountain and the lowlands.

Like the Aberdares, Mount Kenya is one of the country's main water towers. The rivers that rise on its slopes feed the Tana and the Ewaso Ng'iro, and with them a large share of Kenya's farms and hydropower. The park is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Ol Pejeta with Mount Kenya behind
Faune

Ce pour quoi on vient à Mount Kenya

Les espèces pour lesquelles ce lieu est réellement connu, pas une liste des cinq grands qui conviendrait à n'importe quel parc du Kenya.

A black-and-white colobus in the canopy01

Black-and-white colobus

Colobus guereza

Common in the lower forest. Listen for the deep croaking call at dawn.

An African elephant with full tusks02

African elephant

Loxodonta africana

Forest elephants move up and down the mountain, and use the corridor to Lewa.

A Cape buffalo on the Mara plains03

Cape buffalo

Syncerus caffer

Found in forest glades and on the lower moorland. Treat them with respect on foot.

A giant forest hog at a forest clearing04

Giant forest hog

Hylochoerus meinertzhageni

The largest wild pig, seen at forest edges early and late in the day.

Gens et artisanat

À qui appartient la terre de Mount Kenya

Les parcs du Kenya sont petits. Presque tout ce qui décide de la survie de la faune se joue sur les terres qui les entourent, et ces terres appartiennent à quelqu'un.

The adumu, the Maasai jumping dance

Les communautés

For the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru peoples who live around it, the mountain is Kirinyaga, and it has long been held sacred. Homesteads were traditionally built with their doors facing the peaks.

The farming towns on its lower slopes, Nyeri, Nanyuki, Meru and Embu among them, grow much of Kenya's tea and coffee.

A curio stall of Kenyan carvings and beadwork

Les boutiques d’artisanat et quoi acheter

The towns around the mountain are good places to buy coffee and tea straight from the estates, and woven sisal baskets from the local markets. Nanyuki has craft shops run by community groups from the surrounding ranches.

Safaris à la une

Safaris dans le reste du Kenya

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