3 Days Mount Kenya Summit Dash along Sirimon Route

Morning transfer from Nairobi, to our base lodge on the western slopes of Mt Kenya for lunch. After lunch is a full briefing and equipment check before we begin the mountain trek - we’ll meet the crew at this point, each one has a personal porter and there are extra porters for mountain equipment and food. It takes about one hour to get to the Sirimon Park Gate (2600m) crossing the equator en-route. On completion of park entry formalities you begin a 3-4 hour hike through forest, bamboo, rosewood and heather zones to Old Moses camp (3300m). Today we gain 740m on the ascent and begin to truly acclimatize. The forest and bamboo are home to hundreds of buffaloes, elephants, bushbucks and a plethora of bird species. Overnight in the Old Moses hut (3340m).

After an early breakfast we commence a 7-8 hours trek to Shipton's camp (4,236m). Today's trek is long and interesting but also a good test on individual fitness. You’ll ascent close to 900m going up the surreal Mackinder Valley with its strange vegetation of giant lobelia and groundsel, unique to equatorial African mountains. Here we stay at Shipton's hut (4236m), just below the glaciers and jagged peaks of bare rock that surround the main summits.

Predawn start (3am) for the summit attempt - you’ll need a bright head torch for this. Go up steep screes and a bare rocky track to reach the hikers summit, Pt Lenana at 4,985m in time for sunrise, to add to the exhilaration, Kilimanjaro is usually visible 340kms to the south on a clear day. The climb is tough going through frozen scree and requiring some scrambling on final stretch to reach the summit - this is unavoidable on any route. We aim to reach the summit and witness the magical sunrise over the equator at 6.30am. Descend back to Shipton’s camp for a hefty brunch then continue the descent to Oldmoses Camp (3340m) arriving in a further 4-5 hours. then walk back to sirimon gate where you connect with the vehicle for transfer off the mountain