Mount Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa and stands somewhat unjustly in the shadow of it's taller neighbour Kilimanjaro, which lies some 320km away in the south and is visible on a clear day. Kili may see much more traffic - due to the possibility of summitting via several non-technical trekking routes and due to the sometimes dubious honour of being one of the Seven Summits - but Mount Kenya offers a wealth of excellent and diverse climbing possibilities on rock, snow and ice.

The rock on Mount Kenya can be of variable quality but is at it's best high on the mountain where the syenite rock is similar to granite - rough, hard and well endowed with features.

Apart from the superb climbing potential on Mount Kenya, its tarns and alpine meadows; exotic, equatorial, high-altitude vegetation; sunbirds, hyrax and soaring eagles make the walk around the peaks one of the most beautiful expeditions in the East African mountains

Mount Kenya is about 200km north of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and is accessible by road by a variety of transport options. Buses, minibuses (matatus), taxi or a hire car will get you to the close to mountain on tarred roads to the nearest town: Nanyuki for Naro Moru and Sirimon routes or Meru for Chogoria route.

The last stretch from the nearest town to the various trailheads (typically +/- 25km) will be on dirt roads and these can be in poor condition (especially in wet weather!) and require a 4WD, or an approach on foot. 

There are three principal trekking routes on Mount Kenya that approach the base of the technical climbing routes and the popular destination of Point Lenana. 

There are several other trekking routes on the mountain (such as the Timau, Meru or Burguret Routes) but for various reasons these are not frequently done.

There is also a Summit Circuit path that circumnavigates the whole mountain in a day or two's walking, passing along the way (in clockwise direction) the American Camp in the Teleki Valley, Two Tarns, Hausberg Col, Kami Hut / Shipton's Camp, Simba Col, Tooth Col, Austrian Hut and then back down to the Teleki Valley. 

The Austrian Hut at 4800m is the base camp for the parties doing the Nelion Normal Route and this is reached easily from any of these three routes. Parties doing the North Face Normal Route on Batian will use Shipton's Camp or Kami Hut as a base.