Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the second highest mountain in Africa with some incredible routes which can take you up and down in a variety of different ways yet despite the accessibility, better accommodation options, variations in technical and trekking peaks and increased chances of spotting wildlife during a trek to the summit you still find much less traffic than the neighboring Kilimanjaro, which for most adventurous hikers is another reason to choose Mount Kenya.
Best Time to Climb Mount Kenya
The rainy seasons in Kenya are usually April, May and November. Therefore the best times for a climb of Batian via the North Face are June to August with September and October a possibility too. If you would like to climb in the January-February season then better to consider Nelion via the South East Face. All climbs on Batian or Nelion include a trek to Point Lenana and tend to follow a lot of the summit circuit itinerary for the trekking ascent (using the Naro Moru route before switching to the Sirimon route for the ascent of Point Lenana) and descent (via the Chogoria Route).
Recommended Routes to Climb Mount Kenya
Sirimon Route
The Sirimon route is the best option with your first night at Old Moses (3,300m) before spending two nights at Shiptons Camp (4,250m).
Shiptons Camp gets you up close and personal with all the summits and makes the final summit night the shortest of any of the options. The minimum days are 5 days.
Naro Moru Route
like Sirimon is a 5 day/4 night climb but much more scenic (the vegetation is most striking on the Naro Moru route) and challenging.The forest on the lower slopes of the Naro Moru route appears to have only minimal visible damage from the devastating.
The summit night is a little longer than the summit on the Sirimon route as there is a longer walk in to reach the scree slope which takes you up towards the Austrian Hut (4,800m)