5-Day Mount Kenya Chogoria up and down Sirimon Route

Few routes offer a holistic mountain climbing experience like the Chogoria-Sirimon route. The Chogoria route lies on the north eastern side of Mount Kenya and offers a thrilling highland hike. This route is often regarded as the most attractive route for climbing Mount Kenya due to the high abundance of wildlife and scenic sites. The Sirimon route, on the other hand, makes up for what Chogoria lacks. With a gentle trek, the Sirimon route provides gradual descent with great views of the moorland on the northwestern side of the mountain.

When you climb Mount Kenya through Chogoria down Sirimon expect to get the best of what the second-highest mountain in Africa has to offer.All in all, a Chogoria Sirimon 5-day expedition with professional guides is one of the best ways to get the most out of your Mount Kenya trek.

Here’s what the itinerary looks like;

Day 1: Nairobi (JKIA) - Mount Kenya Bandas (2,900m) 3hrs, 10km, 680m Ascent

The journey to climb Mount Kenya begins with a pickup from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Our team will pick you up from Nairobi and commence a three-hour drive to the base of the mountain.

After the drive, we have lunch to prepare for the start of our Mount Kenya hike. From here, we take a 4*4 vehicle to the starting line of the trek.

Our Mount Kenya trek begins with a hike through a lush bamboo forest that winds uphill and transitions into a heathland. Once we reach the heathland, we make camp at Meru Mt Kenya Bandas, have dinner, and enjoy an overnight stay. Overall, the first leg of our climb will take 3 hours and cover a 680m ascent.

Day 2: Mt Kenya Bandas – Lake Ellis Camp (3,600m) 3hrs, 9km, 700m Ascent

Our second day of climbing Mount Kenya comes with two options each providing its own unique experiences.

After breakfast, you can choose to climb Mount Kenya using the route that goes through Lake Ellis or follow the path near Ontulili river. The river path comes with plenty of vegetation and wildlife to view and enjoy. On the other hand, the Lake Ellis route is a bit longer but offers great sights that are worth the extra mile. On the route, you can enjoy the sights of Muga Hill, Ithangani, and if lucky catch glimpses of Batian and Nelion peaks.

We then pause our Mount Kenya trek to have lunch and rest while taking in the sights. The journey continues until we reach our campsite, have dinner, pitch tents, and call it a day.

Day 3: Lake Ellis Campsite – Minto’s Camp. (4,200m) 12km, 600m Ascent

Once we’ve had breakfast, we continue following the track uphill until we rejoin the Mount Kenya Chogoria route. The hike ahead is a 4-hour trek to our next camp. By this time and altitude, the journey may start becoming difficult. So, we take steady steps and spend the day acclimatizing.

As we continue trekking Mount Kenya on this day, we’ll pass through the Gorges Valley. This valley provides scenic views of the peaks to the front and Giants Billards Table and Mugi Hills to the back. Before we reach Minto’s camp, we’ll also be served with spectacular views of the Temple and Lake Michaelson.

We end the day at Minto’s Camp where we have dinner and rest early in preparation for the summiting day.

Day 4: Minto’s Camp – Point Lenana (4,985m) – Old Moses Camp. 24km 785 ascent, 1,685 Descent

The day starts early at 3 AM to catch the stunning sunrise on the peak of Point Lenana. The trek takes us through a steep path that cuts through a cliff and takes about 3 hours. As the darkness clears, point Lenana becomes visible. After summiting Mount Kenya, we rest at the peak, take in the views, and have a photographing session.

We start our descent via the Mount Kenya Sirimon route by trekking to Shimpton’s camp for breakfast. Our Mount Kenya trek through the Sirimon route is a gentle and exciting trek that sees us passing by great sights like Mackinder’s Valley. The journey continues to Old Moses camp where we have dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 5: Old Moses Camp – Nairobi, 2 hours

As we near the end of our journey we have a hearty breakfast in the morning and continue with the descent. The last leg of our Mount Kenya hike will take us to the foot of the mountain at Sirimon Park gate. We take a vehicle to Nairobi as we say goodbye to Mount Kenya.

The conclusion of our journey takes place in Nairobi late afternoon.