4-Day Mount Kenya, Naro Moru Route
The shortest way to Point Lenana: up and down the Naro Moru side in four days, the fastest route on the mountain and the one that asks the most of your lungs.
5-Day Mount Kenya, Sirimon to Chogoria
Overview
This is the route I recommend most often when someone asks which way up Mount Kenya. Sirimon is the gentlest and driest approach on the way up, climbing gradually through forest and open moorland to Shipton's Camp below the peaks; Chogoria, on the way down, is generally agreed to be the most scenic face of the mountain, with the Gorges Valley and a string of glacial tarns underfoot. Crossing between the two on summit day means you see two quite different sides of Mount Kenya rather than retracing your own footprints.
The extra day over our 4-Day Naro Moru itinerary is not padding. Spreading the ascent across five days gives your body a genuinely better chance to adjust to altitude before the summit push, and it shows in the numbers: Sirimon to Chogoria carries a noticeably better success rate than the faster Naro Moru route, for a very simple reason, more time.
Day by day
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01
Sirimon gate to Old Moses Camp
We drive from Nanyuki to the Sirimon gate and start walking through open podocarpus forest, thinning quickly into moorland studded with giant groundsel and lobelia. Old Moses Camp, at around 3,300 metres, sits in open country with a clear first view of the peaks on a good afternoon.
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02
Old Moses to Shipton's Camp
A longer day through the Mackinder Valley, climbing steadily with the peaks ahead of you for most of the walk, to Shipton's Camp at around 4,200 metres, tucked below Batian and Nelion's rock faces. We build in a short acclimatisation walk in the afternoon toward Mugi Hill, high enough to help your body adjust without spending the effort you'll need in the morning.
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03
Summit day: Point Lenana, then down to Mintos
Up around 2 to 3 am for the climb to Point Lenana, torchlit over scree and frozen ground in temperatures genuinely below freezing, reaching the 4,985-metre summit for sunrise. Point Lenana is the trekking summit; Batian and Nelion, the two higher rock peaks either side of us, are technical climbs we don't attempt on this itinerary. From the top we descend the Chogoria side via Simba Col into the Gorges Valley, down to Mintos Camp for the night, a long but spectacular day.
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04
Mintos to the Chogoria forest, via Hall Tarns and Lake Ellis
A gentler day through some of the mountain's best scenery: past the Hall Tarns, beside Mintos, then on down to Lake Ellis, glacial pools set among moorland, before dropping into montane forest as the vegetation thickens and the air warms. We camp near the forest edge, close enough to the gate to make the final descent short the next morning.
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05
Chogoria gate and drive to Nanyuki
A short final walk through forest to the Chogoria gate, then the drive back to Nanyuki, roughly four hours, with lunch on the road.
What's included
Included
- Transport between Nanyuki, the Sirimon gate and the Chogoria gate
- Mount Kenya National Park entry and camping fees for four nights
- A licensed mountain guide, cook and porters for the full trek
- All meals on the mountain from lunch on day one to lunch on day five
- Camping equipment: tents, sleeping mats and a mess tent
- Drinking water, treated or boiled, throughout the trek
- Soft drinks, juices, tea and coffee throughout
- Beer, wine and spirits throughout
Not included
- Transport to and from Nairobi (we can arrange this separately)
- Personal trekking gear: sleeping bag, waterproofs, boots
- Tips for your guide, cook and porters
- Kenya e-Visa or entry permit fees
- Travel insurance covering high-altitude trekking
Best time to visit
January through March and July through October are driest, with firmer trails on both the Sirimon moorland and the Chogoria descent through the Gorges Valley. The five-day pace itself is a safety choice as much as a scenic one: it acclimatises noticeably better than a four-day ascent, though no route removes the risk of altitude sickness entirely, and we never promise a summit regardless of how fit you arrive.
Common questions
Why cross from Sirimon to Chogoria instead of climbing and descending the same route?
Two reasons. Sirimon is the driest, most gradual way up, which suits acclimatisation, while Chogoria is widely rated the most scenic way down, past the Hall Tarns, Lake Ellis and the Gorges Valley. Doing both means five days shows you two genuinely different sides of the mountain rather than the same path twice.
What gear do I need to bring versus what you provide?
We supply tents, sleeping mats, a mess tent and all mountain meals. You bring a four-season sleeping bag, waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers for a below-freezing summit night, and broken-in trekking boots. We send a full kit list once you book, and can arrange rental gear in Nanyuki for items you'd rather not fly with.
How much fitter do I need to be than for the 4-Day Naro Moru route?
Not dramatically fitter, since the terrain difficulty is similar. What this route asks for more of is stamina over a longer stretch of days, particularly the summit-day distance from Shipton's over Point Lenana down to Mintos, which is a full day on your feet. Regular hill walking or hiking in the months before your trip is the right kind of preparation.
What happens if altitude sickness stops someone from continuing?
Your guide checks in with everyone regularly for the early warning signs and has the final word on turning back, not you. Someone who needs to stop descends with a porter to a lower camp rather than continuing, and we adjust the group's pace around it; it doesn't reflect on your fitness, and altitude sickness can affect trekkers regardless of how fit they are.
Are drinks included on the mountain?
Meals, drinking water, soft drinks, tea and coffee are all included and carried for you. Beer, wine and spirits are included on this trip too, but take this as honest advice rather than a rule: alcohol dehydrates you, and it makes altitude sickness both more likely and harder to spot in yourself. Above about 3,000 metres your guides will encourage you to leave it until you are back down. Nobody is going to stop you. They will just tell you straight what it does to your chances of standing on Point Lenana.
Ready to book this safari?
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