The Chogoria Route is widely regarded as the most scenic route on Mount Kenya, offering breathtaking landscapes, dramatic gorges, pristine alpine lakes, waterfalls, and spectacular views throughout the journey. Favoured by photographers, nature lovers, and experienced trekkers, this route provides an immersive wilderness experience away from the busier trails. Highlights include the magnificent Gorges Valley, Lake Ellis, Lake Michaelson, Nithi Falls, and the iconic Temple and Hall Tarns. Although the route involves longer trekking days and varied terrain, the rewarding scenery makes it one of the most memorable ways to experience Mount Kenya. Chogoria is often combined with the Sirimon Route for descent, creating an exceptional traverse across the mountain.
Scenic trekking
Photographers
Experienced Hikers
Nature Enthusiasts
Pick up from the Hotel at 7.30 am and drive towards the region of Chogoria, on the eastern side of Mt Kenya arriving in the rate of afternoon for lunch. Then connect your 4×4 and drive through the equatorial rain forest, this forest is the home of elephant, Cape buffalo and leopard. You may also be fortunate to see colobus monkey on the way. You will start walking before 10 km in order to acclimatize, dinner/overnight at Meru bandas 3000m.
After breakfast, you will follow the trail as it leads up through glades of montane forest to our private camp on the shores of Lake Ellis. You will camp at 11,800 feet. Dinner/overnight.
After breakfast, traverse the eastern moorlands of Mt Kenya edge of the Nithi Gorge. You will have picnic lunch overlooking this majestic gorge above Vivien Falls. In the afternoon, you will hike up the ridge of the Nithi to our private camp at Hall Tarns at 14,500 feet, dinner/overnight.
An early start at night 2.00 o’clock to the summit to reach Point Lenana 4,985m, arriving at 6.30 in the morning for the sunrise. Then descend to Mackinder’s camp for breakfast, dinner/overnight.
After breakfast, descend through Teleki valley and famous vertical bog to the Met. station 3,050m for 5 hrs. dinner/overnight.
After breakfast, descend to Narumoru gate through the rain forest for 2 hrs. to connect your transport back to Nairobi.
Pick up from your hotel in Nairobi at 7am to Chogoria town for an early lunch. After lunch, take a 4x4WD vehicle to the forest clearance, 16km from where the walk starts. You will walk for 16km through the forest along the dirt and sometimes very muddy road for 4hrs to reach Mount Meru Bandas at 2950m. Dinner and overnight at Mt. Meru Bandas.
After breakfast follow the track through giant heather and forest up to Chogoria road head from where the path drops to cross a stream then follows the broad ridge to the east of the gorges valley to reach Road Head Camp taking approximately 3-4hrs. Overnight at Road Head Camp at 3300m.
After breakfast follow the track through giant heather and forest up to Chogoria road head from where the path drops to cross a stream then follows the broad ridge to the east of the gorges valley to reach Mintos Hut, 4200m. Dinner and overnight at Mintos Hut.
Leave shortly after midnight at 2am towards the main peaks and divide after an hour, above a flat green area at the head of the valley known as temple fields, arriving at point Lenana at 6:30am. After taking photographs, descend to Mackinders for breakfast and continue down to The Met. Station at 3000m for dinner and overnight rest.
After breakfast, descend through the rainforest which is 9km to Narumoru Park Gate at 2,600m where you will connect with your transport back to Nairobi, arriving at approximately 3pm.
Pick up from hotel at about 0800. It’s then about 3 1/2 hours from Nairobi to where we collect the porters and guides (as required). Into the Mt. Kenya forest for the 22 km drive to the Park Gate at 2,850m. Dependent on road conditions, these 22 km have been known to take all afternoon to do and in really wet conditions it is possible that the top four or five km may be impassable. Night, dependent on clients wishes, at the Meru Mt. Kenya Banda’s or at road head a further 7 km from the Park Gate.
After breakfast and sorting of porter loads we set off up the mountain at a nice and easy pace. A slightly longer walk via Lake Ellis gives scenic views of Mugi, Ithunguni and the Giants Billiards Table, whilst if we follow the river near road head, upstream for about 3 km, the foreground scenery and flora is particularly beautiful. Lunch by the stream banks then it’s time to cut up the left hand hillside to our camp at about 3,600m, well away from any of the more “touristy” areas.
From our campsite, we continue to move up through the moorland zone. As this area of the mountain is still off the beaten track, there are no paths to follow, and on each trip we vary the area we walk across. After about an hour, traverse left and join a ridge (slight path to follow) and join the normal Chogoria route to Minto’s Hut after about 4 hour walking. Lunch at a small stream crossing then 45 min on to a camp near Minto’s Hut and next to one of the tarns. Very short afternoon walk over to superb views across to “The Temple” and down to Lake Michaelson.
After pre-dawn breakfast leave Mintos Hut for the summit passing near the Simba Tarn and Harris Tan to Point Lenana which is approximately 4 – 5 hours. After the sunrise at 6.30 and nice views of Kilimanjaro and the Coast line descend back to Mintos for full breakfast and thereafter descend to Meru Mount Kenya Lodge(Bandas) having our lunch at the Road head. Dinner and overnight at the Bandas.
After breakfast walk for 15km downhill through the dense rain and bamboo forests to connect the 4WD jeep to Chogoria Town. Then after lunch at Chogoria drive back to Nairobi for your next destination.
