The Breathtaking Beauty of Mount Kenya
For many decades, Mount Kenya climbing expeditions have been the beautiful tourist attractions for many. You will most definitely be eager to see the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa after Kilimanjaro. It may be simply called an area of enchanting beauty and enticing sights since the mountain provides this with an amazing zeal.
Mount Kenya is characterized by a series of peaks which are naturally crowned with snow, and its slopes are covered with forests. Here you can perform an adventurous activity, as the 5199 meter (17,057 ft) high summit is a difficult technical climb. Mount Kenya presents the ideal destination for experience. It’s an extinct volcano with some trees half a million years old. Straddling the Equator, the mountain provides a mosaic of woods, moorland, stone, and ice, and is crowned by the glittering twin peaks of Batain (5,199m) and Nelion (5,188m). Regarded as the sacred home of Ngai, God of the Kikuyu men and women, Mount Kenya is Kenya’s premier mountain, a climbers mecca, as well as the state’s namesake. Mount Kenya is a favorite destination for a vacation. It is located 175km north of Nairobi and is readily available from Nanyuki, through the Naro Moru gate or Sirimon gate. Travelers from the Meru/Embu region can use the Chogoria gate.
Climbing higher up the slopes the state side is scenic, with a green carpet of tea plantations, coffee shrubs, and macadamia trees. The air is tantalizingly fresh with crystal clear rivers running in the slopes, cold water gushing out of the woods, skirting the farms and down into the plains. High above the tea farms, the woods line to create the skyline and act as mega-sponges, providing the fresh water and also eye-catching waterfalls.
Chogoria is reported to be the most picturesque route to the peaks together with the noise of the water in every step of the way. Walking down the slope is a dam and then a few steps away, a stunning waterfall named Owinga gushing across the rocks to crash in the bottom and continue its journey down the mountain. It’s the River Mara.
The road from Embu to Meru is full of scenic drives, bends, and twists and broad bridges over yawning rivers, providing the country with its hydro-electric power. Elegant raffia trees grow from the banks, their leaves, reputed to be the largest in the plant kingdom, crossing the heavens. Meru National Park is all about a short drive from town with the road out of Meru lined with the old forest filled with the grand massive Meru oaks.
The advantage of using the Nanyuki side is that you can sample the delights of the two Mt. Kenya and the Aberdares. Nanyuki is an old colonial town with many holiday facilities which can cater for various budgets. For those keen on wildlife viewing, the Mt. Kenya National Park might not be the best as it’s heavily forested and harder to observe the animals.