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.
6-Day Mount Kenya, Chogoria Traverse
Overview
This is the itinerary for a trekker who wants the best chance of standing on Point Lenana and has the extra day to spend on it. We go up the Chogoria route, generally agreed to be the most scenic approach on the mountain, past Lake Ellis and the Hall Tarns into the Gorges Valley, and come down the shorter Naro Moru side afterward. The difference from our 5-Day Sirimon to Chogoria itinerary is a full extra day built in around Mintos Camp before the summit push, purely for acclimatisation.
That extra day is the point of this route, not an afterthought. Altitude sickness is caused by ascending faster than your body can adjust, not by fitness, and a rest day at around 4,300 metres before the final climb to 4,985 metres measurably improves your odds of reaching the summit compared with pushing straight through. We still can't promise a summit, nobody honestly can, but this is the itinerary I'd point most people toward if the extra day were available.
Day by day
-
01
Chogoria gate into the forest
We drive from Nanyuki to the Chogoria gate and walk into dense montane forest, cedar and podocarpus giving way gradually to more open ground, camping near the forest's upper edge at moderate altitude to start the acclimatisation process gently.
-
02
Forest camp to Lake Ellis
The forest thins into moorland as we climb, past giant groundsel and lobelia, to camp at Lake Ellis, a glacial tarn at around 3,540 metres with the Gorges Valley opening up ahead. It's a manageable day by design, keeping the pace of altitude gain conservative this early in the trek.
-
03
Lake Ellis to Mintos, via Hall Tarns
We continue past the Hall Tarns, a string of glacial pools set in open moorland, and along the rim of the Gorges Valley to Mintos Camp at around 4,300 metres, one of the best-positioned camps on the mountain for views back down the valley we've just climbed.
-
04
Acclimatisation day at Mintos
A short walk up toward Simba Col and back, high enough to help your body adjust to the thinning air, then a deliberately quiet afternoon back at camp. This is the day that sets this itinerary apart from the faster routes, and the one most trekkers are glad of by summit night.
-
05
Summit day: Point Lenana, then down to Mackinder's Camp
Up around 2 to 3 am for the climb over Simba Col to Point Lenana, cold enough by then to be genuinely below freezing, reaching the 4,985-metre summit for sunrise with Batian and Nelion's technical faces close beside us, peaks we don't attempt on this trek. We descend the Naro Moru side past Austrian Hut to Mackinder's Camp at around 4,200 metres for the night, a long day but a shorter one than crossing all the way to the gate.
-
06
Mackinder's Camp to the Naro Moru gate, via the Vertical Bog
A final descent down through the Vertical Bog and the forest to the Met Station and the Naro Moru gate, then the drive back to Nanyuki.
What's included
Included
- Transport between Nanyuki, the Chogoria gate and the Naro Moru gate
- Mount Kenya National Park entry and camping fees for five 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 six
- 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 give the driest trails on both the Chogoria ascent and the Naro Moru descent. The built-in acclimatisation day at Mintos is this route's real advantage regardless of season: spreading the climb to 4,985 metres over six days with a rest day included gives noticeably better summit odds than our faster itineraries, though altitude sickness can still turn back even a fit, well-prepared trekker, and we never guarantee the summit.
Common questions
Why does an extra acclimatisation day matter this much?
Altitude sickness is caused by the speed of ascent more than fitness or effort, so a rest day at around 4,300 metres before pushing higher gives your body real time to adjust before the hardest stretch of the climb. It's the single biggest reason this route carries better summit odds than our 4-Day and 5-Day itineraries.
What do the porters carry, and what should I keep with me?
Porters carry your main kit bag up to an agreed weight limit, plus camp and kitchen equipment. Keep a daypack with water, snacks, layers and, for summit night specifically, every piece of warm clothing you own and a reliable headtorch.
Is the summit guaranteed with the extra acclimatisation day?
No. This route gives you the best odds we offer, but altitude sickness doesn't respect a schedule, and some trekkers are still turned back regardless of how carefully the days are paced. What the extra day buys is a real improvement in your chances, not a certainty.
How does this differ from the 5-Day Sirimon to Chogoria itinerary?
Both use the Chogoria route for its scenery, but this one climbs Chogoria first and descends Naro Moru, with a full rest day built in at Mintos before the summit push. The 5-Day route runs the opposite direction, Sirimon up and Chogoria down, without that extra acclimatisation day, and suits trekkers with less time to spare.
What happens if someone in the group needs to turn back?
Your guide monitors everyone for the early signs of altitude sickness throughout the trek and has the final say on descending, not the trekker. A porter or the guide accompanies anyone who needs to stop down to a lower camp; we don't leave anyone alone on the mountain, and the rest of the group continues at the planned pace.
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?
Send us your travel dates and group size and we'll confirm availability for the 6-Day Mount Kenya, Chogoria Traverse within a day.
Enquire on WhatsAppYou might also like
5-Day Mount Kenya, Sirimon to Chogoria
Up the drier Sirimon side, down through Chogoria: five days that give your body a real extra day to acclimatise before the push to Point Lenana.