7 Days Mount Kenya Climb, Burguret To Chogoria Traverse (Same itinerary adjustable to 5 or 6 days)

Depart after breakfast and journey north past agricultural lands and landscapes to the slopes of Mount Kenya. After lunch at the base lodge you take part in some easy walks around this predominantly Kikuyu area, exploring local farms and villages and perhaps local schools. We can gain a privileged insight into the lives of the people who live on the slopes of Mt Kenya and know what our visit is contributing towards their local economy. Meals and overnight at the lodge.

Short drive to Gathiuru forest station via the renowned Mau Mau caves and a 4 hour ascent through dense strands of towering bamboo to our own Giant Bamboo camp. Elephant and buffalo are common here.

The luxuriant bamboo yields to enormous podocarpus and pencil cedar forest before we climb to the hagenia rosewood zone at the edge of the moorlands. This marks our lunch spot before heading up through the extraordinary giant lobelia and groundsels. We spend the night close to the sheer lava cliffs of the "Highland Castle".

Details: Spectacular scenery as the jagged volcanic peaks and shimmering glaciers tower above our trek around the summit circuit. Turquoise tarns nestle in the valleys, eagles and buzzards soar overhead - it's difficult to believe we're on the equator! We might, for the first time, meet other trekkers here as we hike for 5-6 hours to overnight at Shipton's Hut at 4,236m.

Details: After the rest day comes the highlight of the Mount Kenya trek: the stiff, but exhilarating, scramble by starlight up to Point Lenana, the "trekkers' summit", in time to see the African dawn from a vantage point of nearly 5,000m. We leave at 4am and climb the 800m to the peak in 3-4 hours. A further 3 hours down to a late breakfast by Hall Tarns in the magnificent Gorges Valley. Then in the afternoon another 3 hours down past spectacular chasms, waterfalls and weirdly eroded lava flows to camp by the track-head in the giant heather zone.

Details: Short descent through the forest zone to the mountain cabins and afternoon relaxing. Log fires, hot showers, Tusker beers, and beds for overnight. Wildlife viewing in evening - often from your cabin window as the elephant and buffalo graze outside!

Descent on a broad track for about 10 KM through bamboo and virgin rain forest to meet vehicles for the return to Nairobi - usually arriving mid to late afternoon.