One-Day Hike at Mt. Kenya National Park

Fahrni Nicole
20. Juli 2025
4 Min. Lesezeit

*First steps on the trail, with Batian, Nelion, and Point Lenana already piercing the skyline.*

No crowds. No summit selfies. Just one trail, one guide, and a glimpse into Mount Kenya's otherworldly side. The Sirimon Route delivers high-altitude drama - no multi-day trek required.

Mount Kenya doesn't draw crowds like Kilimanjaro - and that's part of its spell.

Quiet, self-assured, cloaked in mist and myth. Straddling the equator yet soaring past 5'000 meters, it's one of those rare places where latitude meets altitude. You're technically in the tropics - but it smells like high-alpine sun and crisp stone. The light is sharper. The air thinner. The landscape - not quite of this world.

You don't have to climb to the top to feel it. You can spend a single day on this mountain and still walk away with lungs full of sky and the strange silence that only altitute brings.

You won't reach the summit in one day. But it gets under your skin all the same.

One day. One hike. One unforgettable landscape.

The Basics

📍 Start Point: Sirimon Gate (approx. 40 minutes from Nanyuki)

⏱ Duration: 2–3 hours one way (depending on fitness & acclimatization)

📏 Distance: ~8 km to the viewpoint (16 km round-trip)

🏔 Highest Point: Viewpoint at 3,800 m a.s.l.

💰 Fees: $54 USD (non-residents, day entry)

🚶 Guide Required: Yes — and I highly recommend Robert (+254 70 064 45 36)

🥾 What to Bring: Good hiking boots, and warm clothes — seriously. It gets cold fast at altitude. Think layers, onion-style: fleece, windbreaker, maybe even gloves. You’ll thank yourself later. Lunch, water.

💻 Park Registration: Mt. Kenya is managed by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and you’ll need to register at the Gate via the eCitizen portal. Sign up ahead of time for faster check-in — the same account works for other KWS parks like Aberdare, Nakuru, or Amboseli. You find the webpage here: https://kws.ecitizen.go.ke/

How to Get There

From Nanyuki it's a 40-minute drive through wheat fields, rolling pasture, and roadside snack stalls until the tarmac ends shortly before reaching Timau. You drive on a dirt road until you reach Sirimon Gate. After checking in and paying your park fee, you continue - a slow climb by car through thick, ancient forest. There are rosewoods here, and acacias bent like question marks, and cedar trees that seem to hum if you stand still long enough.

After about 10 minutes (on a surprisingly well-maintained road), you'll reach Old Moses Mountain Camp (3'380 m.a.s.l.). Park the car. Stretch your legs. Feel the altitude begin to nibble at your breath. The light shifts, too - cooler, bluer, cleaner.

There are washrooms, and space to repack your dackpack if needed.

Start Early

If you want to see the peaks set out early. Most mornings, the air is clear and the sky empty. That's when Batian, Nelion, and Point Lenana sharpen into view, jagged like shark teeth against the blue. Later, clouds tend to drift in and wrap the mountain in fog, like a secret being folded back into itself.

You'll spot the summits not only from the viewpoint, but even as you hike - little glimpses through the valleys, like the mountain reminding you it's there.

The Hike

From Old Moses Camp, follow the trail that leads uphill to a small water station - a gentle climb that's a good warm-up. There, you'll reach a junction. One path heads straight toward Liki North Camp; take the one that veers right toward Shipton's Camp.

Now the real magic begins.

The trail narrows and begins to skirt along the side of a mountain ridge, winding gently upwards with just enough effort to keep your pulse honest. You're walking through alpine shrubland with Erica, Philippia, and Juniperus - bent low and stubborn, like old mountain monks waiting out the weather.

This shrubby landscape carries you all the way to the first bridge, where you cross the Ontulili River.

From here, the trail begins to climb again - a steady rise that pulls you further into the high alpine, where things start to look and feel a little more otherworldly. Shrubs fall away.

Tussock grasses roll out before you. Giant Lobelias appear like something imagined, followed by Mt. Kenya's surreal signature: the Giant Groundsels (Dendrosenecio keniodendron), endemic and ancient-looking. You might spot a splash of red - that's the Gladiolus watsonioides, flame-bright against all the green.

The trail now dips, leading you down into the Liki North River valley via a steeper, more rugged section. It's muddier here. More stones, more jump-and-step moments. But the river crossing offers a pause - there are benches and a picnic table here if your legs or your snack stash demand it.

Then comes the final ascent.

The last stretch to the viewpoint is short but sharp - rocky, uneven, and thin-aired. At 3'800 meters, your lungs begin to notice the effort. But keep going. The reward is near.

From the top (viewpoint at 3'800 m.a.s.l.), you gaze into the Mackinder's Valley: wide, glacial, and impossibly quiet. It's a corridor into the heart of the mountain - toward Shipton's Camp and the summit beyond.

There's space here. To breathe. To unpack your sandwich. To share crumbs with two Jackson's Spurfowl who appear like clockwork, utterly unbothered by altitude.

Then it's back the way you came - lighter, faster, and a little more mountain than you were a few hours ago.

Final Thoughts

This hike is a perfect introduction to Mount Kenya's quiet drama - and a good test for how your body handles altitude. Whether you're here for the plants, the views, or just to get above the noise for a while, the Sirimon Route offers a rewarding day hike with just the right mix of challenge and wonder.

And if you do catch the mountain bug? I'll be writing up a full guide to the 4-day summit trek soon.

Want to plan your hike?

Text or call Guide Robert (+254 70 064 45 36) - and feel free to say hi from Nicole and Lorenz :)

Or send me a message. I'm happy to share more tips.