CLIMBING AND TREKKING IN EAST AFRICA – where, how and why.
Part Two – Trekking and climbing in Kenya

South of Ethiopia is found Africa’s original safari destination and also a mecca for rock climbers, mountaineers and trekkers. My first visit to Kenya was in the late Nineties when the famous climber Mark Savage helped me organise a trek on Mount Kenya to Point Lenana – the trekkers’ peak . I recall a leaky tent, awful food and reaching Point Lenana in a heavy snowstorm. Yet, the incredible beauty of the Mount Kenya massif enthralled me. In particular the twin peaks of Nelion and Batian – the technical summits of the mountain. Back then I had no experience of rock climbing and those awesome peaks were totally off limits for me. Much later in 2015 and 2016 I was to return to attempt the technical summits of Mount Kenya – Batian and Nelion. My first and poor attempt on Batian was followed by a happier climb up to Nelion Peak and the Gate of Mists.

In the years between I was able to return to Kenya several times and trek various routes to point Lenana – my favourite being the Sirimon-Chogoria Traverse to ascend up Sirimon route, divert to Likki North and then circle the peaks before topping out at Point Lenana and descending via either Chogoria route or Naro Moru Route to the base. Beer, dinner and overnight at the delightfully old-fashioned Sportsmans in Nanyuki is a great way to finish a trek or climb!

Trekking up Mount Kenya has not been the only attraction to bring me to this diverse country. Walking in the Maasai lands on the borders of the Maasai Mara, trekking in the Aberdares, cycling around Mount Kenya and climbing with my friend Jo Sarnecka the distant volcano Elgon on the border with Uganda have all been special, memorable adventures.

For me, however, the Techncial Summits of Mount Kenya (Nelion and Batian) had become an obsession and I returned for a first attempt to climb direct up the Batian route in 2015. Nelion and Batian are technical peaks with sport grades ranging from grade 3, 3+, through 4a and 4b. Overall climb grading is hard to fix but assume V.Diff to Severe (UK) or IV+ (UIAA) for Nelion and a little harder for the direct Batian climb. So clearly I was going to need a very good lead guide. My climb was led by Kim Elijah, a Kenyan mountain guide with enormous experience of climbing in East Africa and amazing technical abilities. It was reassuring to also learn that Kim was also a member of the Kenya Mountain Rescue Service. He is a very special, strong, friendly and reassuring guy to climb with.

We approached the start of Batian via the Sirimon route, staying for two nights at the beautiful location of Shipton’s Camp. An acclimatising trek up Hausberg Col and a technical climb up Point Peter had me prepared for the attempt on Batian. 

You leave Shipton’s around 4am to make your way across moraine and ice to reach the first pitch up Batian route. I found that pitch hard enough and it took us some time to reach the Amphitheatre. Above the Amphitheatre we made a short climb and then crossed scree and rubble to the foot of Firmin’s Tower – the crux of Batian Route. We climbed a crack to the right side of Firmin’s Tower and gained airy views over the massive West Face of Mount Kenya. Coming off Firmin’s Tower, the route crosses the ‘Knife Edge’ before heading up in the direction of Shipton’s Notch. At this point, and given the relatively slow pace of my climbing and the poor weather, we decided to end the climb and start the numerous abseils back down. By the time we reached the base, our climb day had involved around 14 pitches en route up to Firmin’s Tower and 9 abseils (30 to 50ms.) to get off the mountain.

My failure to reach a technical summit of Mount Kenya nagged at me and I returned the following year with Jon and Matt, two very experienced climbers, for a shot at Nelion Route. Again, the amazing Kim Elijah was to lead the technical climbs. Nelion route, like Batian, is a multi-pitch climb and again I struggled on some of the tougher pitches, but with the help of Kim, Jon and Matt I made it to Nelion summit! It was a proud moment.

Leaving our bivouac gear in the famous Howell Hut, we then continued to cross the infamous Gate of Mists. The weather turned nasty and the climb up the last pitch to Batian’s summit was becoming very icy and too risky for my limited skills. Kim, Jon and Matt went on to Batian summit whilst I shivered in the falling snow trying to find shelter behind a large boulder.

The climb back across the Gate of Mists and up the glacier to get back to Nelion Summit was extremely exposed and I was very glad to finally reach the “sardine tin” of Howell Hut, where we spent a restless night. Next day we climbed and abseiled back down to finally reach Austrian Hut mid-afternoon. Then, the following day, down Naro Moru route to dinner and many beers at the Sportsmans! From the golf course at the Sportsmans we had clear views of Mount Kenya’s awesome peaks – Nelion and Batian.

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Summary: For richness of flora and fauna, and for beautiful scenery, Mount Kenya is the equal of any peak in Africa. The mountain encompasses a variety of distinct ecological zones, ranging from savannah grassland, through tropical rainforest, bamboo and heather zones, to the snow and ice summit.

The lower slopes of Mount Kenya are covered in dense rainforest and home to elephant, buffalo and antelope, while the upper slopes are host to a climate and terrain that is almost alpine in character, a land of barren heath and icy valleys, not unlike the dramatic landscapes of the Rwenzori Mountains.

The trek on Mount Kenya to Point Lenana offers the high-altitude walker all these wonderful sights. The technical summits of Batian and Nelion are – for rock climbers – two of the most special climbs in Africa.