Eastern Rift Mountains: Mount Kenya

17,057-foot peak in East Africa
0 ft
Elevation
Kenya
Country
0
Days
4B
Difficulty
Early Dec
Start
Late Mar
End
Expedition Guide

About the Mountain

WHY CLIMB IT?

Most people who head to East Africa for mountain climbing make a beeline for Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340 ft). As one of the world’s Seven Summits – the highest mountain in Africa – Kilimanjaro is a natural choice for a classic adventure. But if you prefer ‘off the beaten path’ experiences and want an even greater mountaineering challenge, head instead to Mount Kenya. At 17,057 feet, Mount Kenya packs all the high-altitude punch and views of Mount Kilimanjaro, while also taking you up steep slopes of ice and 5.6+ rock.

“The realisation of the scale of the mountain hit, as the landscape turned very ‘lunar’ and there was a distinguishable temperature drop.”

- Gemma Tong

Mount Kenya is often called a ‘mountaineer’s mountain’ thanks to there being no easy routes up it. It’s an opportunity to climb terrain comparable in difficulty to the Matterhorn (and requiring a comparable level of experience) while being immersed in surreal landscapes, complete with elephants, baboons, other-worldly rock formations, and exotic plants. The two primary routes up Mount Kenya are the Shipton Route and North Face Standard Route. But unlike other mountains where you choose your route based on difficulty or scenery, the choice between routes on Mount Kenya is season dependent. From December to March, the Shipton Route is best, while from June to September, the North Face Standard Route is preferred. Mount Kenya also has twin peaks – Nelion (17,021 ft) and Batian (17,057 ft) – so you can go up one or the other or tackle both by crossing the ‘Gates of the Mist’ if conditions allow it.
Mountain Guide

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