Mount Kenya at 5,199m is Africa’s second highest mountain, formed around 2 – 3 million years ago by a series of volcanic eruptions. From its wooded foothills to its icy summits, it offers the trekker never-to-be-forgotten sights and experiences. The mountain has three peaks - Point Lenana which can be reached by most relatively fit people; Batian (5,200m) and Nelion (5,188m), these two are only accessible to mountaineers with technical skills.
The mountains slopes are cloaked in forest, bamboo, scrub and moorland giving way on the high central peaks to rock, ice and snow. Mt. Kenya is an important water catchment area, supplying the Tana and Northern Ewaso Ngiro systems.
The Park was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997 and is also a Biosphere Reserve that covers 715 sq km. The area around Mt. Kenya is home to the Kikuyu people who hold the mountain sacred.
The Park includes a variety of habitats ranging from higher forest, bamboo, alpine moorlands, glaciers, tarns and glacial morains. The forests are home to elephant, buffalo, monkeys, antelope and giant forest hog. The birdlife around the mountain is also abundant, ranging from huge eagles to multi-coloured sunbirds.
