Protected by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and parts of the Mount Kenya Forest Reserve managed by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), let’s break down Mt.Kenya and discuss things like budgets, fitness and trekking durations, climbing Mount Kenya tours plus answer questions like how tall is Mt Kenya, when is the best time to climb Mt Kenya, and more.

Mount Kenya National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and most of it is protected by Mount Kenya National Park. It offers hikers breath-taking mountain scenery of glaciers, lakes, mineral springs, and alpine forests to trek through, as well as spotting some wildlife. Compared to Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya is considered a more scenic trek. Mount Kenya is also regarded as a holy mountain by all the communities (Kikuyu and Meru) living next to it.

Although the mountain can be trekked all year-round, consider the best time to climb Mount Kenya during the cool dry seasons of January to March and June to October when the weather is warmer and clear skies which will be an added advantage to encourage hikers to tackle Mount Kenya.

Chat with us and get to understand more about the Mount Kenya destination guide.

For you to trek Mount Kenya, a reasonable level of fitness is required. You don’t need to be a super-fit athlete or experienced hiker since the trek is manageable to anyone with good basic fitness and mental readiness for the trek. The fitter you are, the more enjoyable your Mount Kenya adventure will be.

Tip – the best preparation for trekking up Mount Kenya is taking long walks at home – or better yet, going on a few hiking trips. Include some uphill areas and wear the clothes – especially boots and socks that you’ll be wearing during your Mount Kenya adventure.

Tip – the fitness requirement needed to trek Mount Kenya is to ensure you are mentally prepared about it since the biggest part of the challenge is always mental readiness. It is totally vital to prepare your mind for the excursion.

Remember to stay confident and remind yourself why you are climbing Africa’s highest mountains!

Our Mount Kenya climbing tours are led by our guides who are all licensed and have received training from the appropriate park authorities in regards to mountaineering which is important for your absolute peace of mind.

Altitude sickness – occurs when your body finds it difficult to adjust to low oxygen levels. Altitude sickness usually settles by itself and the main treatment involves going down to a lower altitude as safely as possible. Your guide may decide to send you back down the slopes to guarantee your safety. This usually involves returning to your previous campsite.

Our guide will ensure you have sufficient time to acclimatise properly to high altitudes, delivering the best success rate for summiting.

You can take an anti-altitude sickness medication’s to make your blood absorb more oxygen, – but first chat with your doctor about a prescription before your trek. Just remember, anti-altitude sickness medications are often diuretics.

Dehydration is a major contributor to altitude sickness, so make sure that you always have enough drinking water with you during any African mountain tours.

Many mountain climbers combine Mount Kenya trek with a week on safari. Even a grand finale on Kenya’s fine beaches are popular add-ons – get in touch with our Africa Vultures team to help tailor-make a trip that’s right for you.

The price of a guided trip up Mount Kenya National Park depends on factors like the time of year you wish to trek, the number of people in your booking group, and the duration of your trek. A general cost guideline is:

Mount Kenya – between USD 700 and USD 2,500 per person

The prices usually include: Road transfers to and from the mountains, Park fees, camping fees, rescue fees, and permits while on the mountain, Camping equipment, Meals and drinks, services of expert trekking crews (guides, cooks and porters).

During your African climbing tour, in the lower parts of Mount Kenya forest, the bamboo zone plays host to many different wildlife that you might come across, and they include; giant forest hog, tree hyrax, white-tailed mongoose, elephant,  black and white colobus and sykes monkeys, genet cat, hyena, waterbuck, Mount Kenya mouse shrew, suni, black-fronted duiker and leopard.

While there are many campsites within the Mount Kenya National Park, situated close to entry gates mostly, there are a few semi-luxury and comfortable accommodation options within the park and nearby. Some of the hotels near Mount Kenya National Park  include Anabas Mount Kenya National Park is located within the park while the resort property of Fairmont Mount Kenya is located just outside the park, 21 miles from the Simiron Gate.

Mau-Mau Caves offer a fascinating look back to the history of the 1950s while emotions are evoked when visiting the Animal Orphanage, home to the rare Bongo. Visitors can enjoy a nature walk in Mount Kenya National Park while guests staying at the Fairmont can enjoy bird watching outings departing from the grounds.

While Mount Kenya is a challenging and physically demanding climb, it is possible for all beginner-level hikers to successfully climb the mountain. However, most are only able to conquer the central area peaks because the high peaks requires some technical experts.

Are you feeling worried about the hike? Let our team offer suggestions based on our recommended list of our Mt Kenya climbing, trekking and hiking tours.

All our mountain climbing tours ensures you have enough time to acclimatize, which will often give you the best experiences. During your Mount Kenya climbing tour, you may also want to spend a day to rest your hike so giving yourself some extra time is a good idea. Hikers usually complete their Mount Kenya hikes in around four to six days.

If you like hiking challenges, Mount Kenya & Mount Kilimanjaro climbing adventures are some of the best tours you can undertake on your visit to Africa.

Mount Kenya sits on the eastern edge of the Central Highlands of Kenya about 193 km north-east of Nairobi and about 480 km from the Kenyan coast. There is a good road from Nairobi to the mountain. Driving from the Kenyan capital takes four hours.