Nairobi

Hiking

Start off the adventure at 7 AM when you will be picked up and driven to the Great Rift Valley viewpoint, one of Kenya’s most spectacular spots. Briefly absorb the panoramic views of all the major attractions in Nairobi before moving on to Hell's Gate National Park. Get into gear and start the 2-hour biking safari around the park. Expect to cycle past a range of wildlife, from large antelopes to roaming zebras and everything in between. This is followed by an hour-long walk exploring the gorges inside the park with a private guide. Gorges are small, thin depressions of land that you can walk underneath.  Travel by motor vehicle to Naivasha Fishermans or Marina camp for lunch at 1 PM. At 2 PM, enjoy a boat ride across Lake Naivasha, the Rift Valley's highest lake. Encircled by verdant banks, olive trees and cacti this lake is home to exotic birds and giant hippos.  At 4 PM, depart for Nairobi where you will be dropped off at your hotel, area of residence, or the airport.

This 5-day adventure includes hotel pickup and drop off in Nairobi. Travel worry-free with the support of a professional guide, porters, and a skilled cook, as well as tent rentals, included in the price.  The journey starts with a 4-hour drive to Chogoria Park Gate and accommodation at the Kenya Wildlife Services campsite. Travel off the beaten path on day 2 with lunch by the Nithi River and plenty of time to explore the surrounding hillsides. On Day 4, hike up to Mintos Hut while enjoying magnificent views of Lake Ellis, the Gorges Valley, and Vivienne Waterfalls.   Day 4 starts with a pre-dawn breakfast before passing the Simba and Harris Tarns to arrive at Point Lenana at sunrise. The views from the summit are well worth the steep and gravelly climb. After taking in the views, descend to the Meru Mount Kenya Lodge.   On the 5th and final day, descend through dense rain and bamboo forests to Chogoria Town where the van will be waiting for the return transfer to Nairobi after lunch.

Mount Kenya is the biggest mountain in the country, and people often take 3 to 5 days to climb to the summit and back. However, this tour offers you the opportunity to see the beauty of the mountain and take part in a vigorous 6-hour hike, but also to be home to Nairobi for dinner. Your day starts with an early pickup from your hotel in Nairobi before heading off to Mount Kenya National Park, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, due in part to its importance as an area of great scenic beauty. You’ll arrive at the Naro Moru Gate to start your hike at 9:00 AM and head out. Hike through rainforests up the mountain with your knowledgeable guide who will tell you about the flora and fauna surrounding you. This Park is inhabited by, among others, elephants, black-and-white colobus, monkeys, and Cape buffalos. You'll also catch sight of some beautiful birds. At approximately noon, you’ll reach the Meteorological Station and start to head back down the mountain through the bamboo forest. At around 2:00 PM, you’ll arrive back at the Naro Moru gate and enjoy a well-deserved packed lunch. Finally, you'll take the 3-hour drive back to Nairobi. This hike, while strenuous, will certainly be worth it; Mount Kenya is a favorite for hikers due to its snow-capped peaks, breathtaking scenery, and the challenge it presents.

• Day 1: Nairobi, Sirimon, Judmaier Camp (Old Moses Camp), 3-4 hours, 5.6 miles, 2,820-foot ascent Get picked up at 7:30 AM from your accommodation in Nairobi. Drive around 4 hours to Nanyuki for lunch. Proceed 1 hour and 800 feet to Sirimon Gate. From the gate, follow the trail as it winds uphill through the forest which becomes uncultivated land after about 3 hours. After 3.5 hours, the route veers right to Judmaier Camp, where you'll have dinner and stay overnight at 10,826 feet. Lunch and dinner are included.  • Day 2: Judmier Camp, Shipton Camp, 6-7 hours, 10 miles, 2,950-foot ascent After breakfast, follow the track uphill, forking left at the junction. After 1 hour from Old Moses Camp, the trail crosses Ontulili River. Head right toward the Moorland and cross Liki North. Continue uphill to Mackinders Valley, from where you'll find panoramic views up the valley toward the main peaks. Dinner and overnight at Shipton Camp at 13,779 feet. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.  • Day 3: Shipton Camp Spend the day acclimatizing. Walk to Kami Hut down to the Hauseberg Lakes, Hauseberg Tarn and Nanyuki Tarn. Trek back to Shipton for dinner and overnight. • Day 4: Shiptons, Point Lenana, Mount Meru Bandas (Chogoria Gate), 11-12 hours, 20 miles, 2,575-foot ascent Leave at 3:00 AM up a steep, stony quarry that cuts through a cliff clearing. Head toward lower Hall Tarns and arrive at Mount Kenya Point Lenana, 3.7 miles from Shipton Camp, at 6:30 AM. After the sunrise, descend 3.7 miles and about 2 hours down to Mintos Hut for breakfast. Head 4-5 hours further down to Mount Meru Bandas at 9,678 feet, for dinner and overnight on Mount Kenya. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.  • Day 5: Chogoria Bandas, Chogoria, Nairobi Descend 2 hours and 9 miles to the forest clearance and catch a 4×4 transfer vehicle to Chogoria Village where you will find your driver waiting to transfer you back to Nairobi. Breakfast and lunch are included.

Begin the tour with morning pickup from your hotel in Nairobi. Enter the forest and begin your hiking or biking experience. Your guide will explain the different species of trees and birds, as well as the sights and sounds of the park.  The walking trails all offer superb scenery and are clearly marked and color-coded by length, either eight, six, or three miles. The biking trails runs around 7.5 miles. Wander through verdant forest areas, past waterfalls, caves, and wetlands. There are numerous picnic benches within the park, where you can sit down to cool off. Also within the reserve are many areas of interest, both historical and ecological. For example, the Central Bank was once home to an incinerator which destroyed decommissioned currency during the 1990s, and you can still see the old chimney. The Mau-Mau freedom fighters used the sacred caves on the reserve as hideouts, and Lily Lake is the site of an abandoned quarry.

Depart Nairobi for Mt Longonot National Park, heading through the Kikuyu lush green highlands. You will make a scheduled stop at the Great Rift Valley view point. The Rift Valley system was formed 5 million years ago and runs from the Red Sea through Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. The Rift Valley is an active volcanic area - you will actually be able to see the volcanic Mt Suswa and Mt Longonot from this viewpoint. Then, arrive at the Mt Longonot National Park for your hike up to the crater. The hike requires medium physical fitness and you will climb through the gulleys that dot the sides of this mountain. You can make some rest stops at the designated places on the trek. You will get to the rim of the crater and look into the awesome crater below. If you have the strength for it, you can go round the rim of the crater. Descend from Mt Longonot to the base at the Park headquarters. Relax for a while and have lunch at Marina Camp by the lakeside. Go on an hour-long boat ride during which you will see many birds, including the diving African fish eagle. You will also go to the hippo pool and see the hippos as they swim in the water while opening their mouths to over 180 degrees. Afterwards, you will be dropped off at your Nairobi hotel.

Day 1: Depart from Nairobi at 9 AM and set off for the Mount Kenya Nature Reserve. Admire the breathtaking scenery surrounding this designated World Heritage Site. See pristine wilderness with lakes, tarns, glaciers, dense forest, mineral springs and a selection of rare and endangered species of animals, high altitude adapted plains game and unique montane and alpine vegetation. Check in to your accommodation at the Serena Mountain Lodge located at 2,194 m on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Lunch will be served here and you may spend the afternoon as you please, relax at your lodge on the viewing deck and spot animals at the waterhole. The lodge is surrounded by a dense rainforest that comes alive at dusk with a myriad of sounds that make the African bush so special and exhilarating. Its wildlife viewing deck provides superb vantage points for game viewing. Your dinner and overnight accommodation will be here. Day 2: After breakfast, return to Nairobi and get dropped off at your Nairobi hotel or Airport.  Please note safaris return between 2 PM and 5 PM, therefore we recommend if you are departing Nairobi the same day you do not book a flight any earlier than 8 PM.

Depart Nairobi in the early in the morning and stop at the Rift Valley viewpoint to see the reason why this area is called the Great Rift Valley. View the Loita Plains and then proceed to Mount Longonot for a 5-hour hike. You will hike around the crater and down to the Gate. The height gain during the hike is rapid and this makes for a stiff climb. Alternatively, you can also decide to circumnavigate the crater rim. The hiking trail features some rest points, but it also includes some narrow points - especially on the crater rim. The total length of the hike up, around the crater rim, and back, is 10.3km. The hike from the Gate to the crater rim is 3.1km in length.

Your driver / guide will pick you up at 7:00 am to begin the short (little over 2 hours) drive to Hell’s Gate Park. Along our route we’ll pass the majestic Rift Valley escarpments, towering above us. At Hells gate national park you can Drive, Hike, Bike or Climb. The experience is sensational! This park is named for the great steamy clouds and geothermal hot pools that distinguish this unusual place. You’ll marvel at Hell’s Gate National Park’s stunning cliffs, rock towers, extinct volcanoes and breathtaking gorges. Hiking and cycling are encouraged here, and we can do a bit of both. We’ll trek through Hell’s Gate Gorge, a steep, red sandstone formation cut by water and time. Walking through this narrow canyon, we’ll spot the unique volcanic remnants called Fischer’s and Central Towers. Then we’re on for lunch and there after proceed to Lake Naivasha for a refreshing boat ride. Later proceed back to Nairobi for a drop off at or around 7:00pm.

• Day 1: Nairobi - Met Station at 10,006 feet, 3-4 hours, 6.2 miles, 1,312-foot ascent After pickup in Nairobi, drive to the Naru Moru Park Gate for lunch. From the gate, trek up through the magnificent montane forest, bamboo, and giant heather zone before reaching the high altitude moorland and the first cabins at Met Station for dinner and overnight. This is a gentle trek that takes 3-4 hours, gaining an elevation of 1,968 feet. • Day 2: Met Station - Mackinders Camp at 14,107 feet, 5-6 hours, 6.8 miles, 3,937-foot ascent After a short walk to the end of the forest line, hike across a marshy vertical bog of the lower moorlands. Stop for a picnic lunch at the Picnic Rocks before continuing further to Mackinders Camp, gaining 4,265 feet in altitude in about 5 hours. Dinner and overnight at Mackinders camp.  • Day 3: Mackinders - Pt Lenana at 16,355 feet - Old Moses Camp, 11 hours, 2,247-foot ascent, 5,528-foot descent. Leave at 3:00 AM for a predawn summit attempt, trekking for 3-4 hours across bare rock and scree slopes characteristic of the alpine region. Reach Point Lenana, the hikers summit, arriving in time to catch the African sunrise. Later, descend to Shiptons Camp on the Sirimon Route for breakfast. After breakfast, begin a 5-hour descent via Mackinder's Valley to the Old Moses Camp. The descent is gentle and offers ample time to enjoy fascinating scenery, which includes the moorlands, before reaching the camp. Dinner and overnight at Old Moses Camp.  • Day 4: Old Moses at 10,826 feet - Nairobi, 3 hours After an early morning breakfast, descend for 3 hours through the rain forest to the Sirimon Park Gate to catch a vehicle for the return journey to Nairobi. Arrive back at your accommodation in the early evening.