Mount Kenya Sirimon–Chogoria Traverse — 5 Days

Trek across Africa's second-highest peak via its two most scenic routes.

Overview

The Sirimon–Chogoria traverse is widely regarded as the finest way to experience Mount Kenya, combining the mountain's two most celebrated approach routes into a single unforgettable journey. You ascend through the open moorlands of the Sirimon route on the northwestern slopes — a broad, well-graded trail that eases acclimatisation and rewards trekkers with sweeping views of the Laikipia plateau far below — before crossing the high alpine zone to reach Point Lenana at 4,985 metres, Africa's third-highest summit and the trekking apex of the continent's second-tallest peak.

The mountain's equatorial position means that every ecological zone is stacked in quick succession: dense Afromontane forest gives way to giant heather and St John's Wort shrub belt, then to open moorland carpeted with tussock grass and studded with towering giant groundsels (Dendrosenecio) and lobelias found nowhere else on Earth. Cape buffalo, elephant and bongo occasionally move through the forest margins; rock hyrax sunbathe on boulders near the huts; and the endemic Mount Kenya mouse shrew forages around camp. The night sky above 4,000 metres, free of almost all light pollution, is extraordinary.

The pre-dawn summit push to Point Lenana is the emotional centrepiece of the traverse. Setting off from Shipton's Camp by torchlight, trekkers gain the crater rim as the first light catches the twin glaciers of Batian and Nelion — the technical peaks reserved for technical climbers — turning the ice a deep rose gold. The panorama on a clear morning stretches from the Aberdares in the west to Kilimanjaro shimmering on the southern horizon.

The descent via the Chogoria route on the eastern escarpment is a complete contrast in character: a dramatic drop through one of East Africa's most scenic mountain valleys, past the sacred Vivienne Falls, along the rim above the turquoise Hall Tarns, and beside the vast mirror of Lake Michaelson cradled in its glacial cirque. The Chogoria forest — lusher, darker and rich in olive and cedar — completes the ecological circuit before the jeep track returns you to the lower gate and onward to Nairobi.

Route: Nairobi → Sirimon Gate → Shipton → Point Lenana → Chogoria → Nairobi

Day-by-day itinerary

1
Nairobi to Sirimon Gate — Into the Afromontane Forest

After an early morning departure from Nairobi (approximately 3.5–4 hours by road), you pass through Nanyuki town — a good spot to pick up any final supplies — and reach the Sirimon Gate at around 2,650 metres. After KWS registration and a safety briefing with your guide, the trail climbs steadily through dense Afromontane cedar and olive forest alive with colobus monkeys and a rich chorus of sunbirds. The afternoon's target is Old Moses Camp at 3,300 metres, where you settle into mountain huts as the equatorial twilight falls quickly and temperatures drop sharply.

🏨 Old Moses Camp (huts, 3,300 m) 🍽 L, D
2
Old Moses to Shipton's Camp — Across the High Moorland

An acclimatisation morning walk above Old Moses gives the body time to adjust before the main push begins. The trail climbs through the heather–moorland transition zone and onto the open Mackinder's Valley, where giant groundsels rise like prehistoric sentinels from the tussock grass and the jagged silhouette of the main peaks comes into full view. You arrive at Shipton's Camp (4,236 m) in the early afternoon, allowing time to rest, rehydrate and take a gentle exploratory walk toward the Hausberg Col before a warm dinner and early bed in preparation for the summit push.

🏨 Shipton's Camp (huts, 4,236 m) 🍽 B, L, D
3
Summit Day — Point Lenana at Dawn, Descent to Mintos Hut

Waking at around 02:30, trekkers don headlamps and full cold-weather layers for the two-hour ascent to Point Lenana (4,985 m) via the Austrian Hut col. The final slopes are steep scree and loose rock, demanding careful footwork and a steady pace, but the reward — standing on the summit at first light as twin glaciers blush pink and the shadow of the mountain stretches west across the Laikipia plateau — is deeply memorable. After photographs and a moment to absorb the panorama, you descend the eastern face toward the Chogoria route, passing the Lewis Glacier moraines and the vivid turquoise of the Top Hut tarn before reaching Mintos Hut (4,300 m) for a well-earned hot lunch and afternoon rest.

🏨 Mintos Hut (4,300 m) 🍽 B, L, D
4
Mintos Hut to Chogoria Forest — Through the Valley of Giants

Today's descent through the Chogoria valley is among the most scenic mountain walks in all of East Africa. The route passes above the spectacular Hall Tarns before contouring around the rim above Lake Michaelson, a deep glacial lake held in a sheer-walled cirque that mirrors the sky with extraordinary clarity. Vivienne Falls thunders over a basalt ledge on the valley floor as the trail steepens and vegetation thickens from moorland to giant heather to cedar–olive forest. Bandas at the Chogoria roadhead make a comfortable overnight stop, and the forest air — warm and fragrant after days above 4,000 metres — is a welcome reward.

🏨 Chogoria Forest Bandas (3,000 m) 🍽 B, L, D
5
Chogoria Gate to Nairobi — Farewell to the Mountain

A final walk or short vehicle transfer through the lower cedar forest brings you to Chogoria Gate, where your road vehicle is waiting. The drive south via Chuka and Embu skirts the lower eastern slopes, offering a last look at the peaks before the road flattens onto the Kenyan central highlands. Arriving in Nairobi in the early afternoon, trekkers are dropped at their hotel or the international airport — tired, satisfied and carrying memories of one of Africa's great mountain traverses.

🍽 B

Gallery

Includes

Professional ISKE/KWS-licensed mountain guide
Porters (luggage carried to a maximum of 15 kg per trekker)
Certified mountain cook
All Kenya Wildlife Service park and conservancy entry fees
All mountain hut/bunkhouse accommodation fees
Full-board mountain meals during the trek (Day 2 through Day 5 as noted)
Return road transfers Nairobi–Sirimon Gate and Chogoria Gate–Nairobi
Group first-aid kit and supplemental oxygen cylinder
Pre-trek briefing and route safety notes

Excludes

International flights and domestic connecting flights
Kenya entry visa fees
Travel and medical evacuation insurance (required)
Personal trekking gear (boots, sleeping bag rated to -10°C, trekking poles, warm layers)
Drinks and snacks beyond standard meal service
Gratuities for guide, cook and porters (customary and appreciated)
Optional helicopter evacuation upgrade
Items of a personal nature

Good to know — flights & hotels

This price is for the tour/adventure only. International & domestic flights and hotels are not included — we'll gladly suggest trusted options that you book directly.

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