Mount Kenya Summit & Samburu Wildlife Trek

The drive north to Mount Kenya's Sirimon Gate takes around four hours. After registering with the park authorities and meeting your mountain guide and porters, the first day's trek climbs gently through montane forest and bamboo, watching for elephant and buffalo tracks, before making camp for the night.

The trail continues up through open moorland dotted with giant lobelia and groundsel, unique to East Africa's high mountains, with views opening up across the surrounding plains. An extra night is often spent at an intermediate camp to acclimatise before the final push, with a shorter acclimatisation walk in the afternoon to help your body adjust to the altitude.

A pre-dawn start, usually around 3am, gets you to Point Lenana in time for sunrise over the surrounding plains and, on a clear day, views as far as the Aberdares. After celebrating at the summit, the group descends the same day to a lower camp, dropping altitude quickly to reduce fatigue.

The final descent through bamboo and forest returns you to Sirimon Gate by late morning, where your vehicle is waiting. After lunch and a chance to clean up, the drive continues north into the drier country around Samburu, arriving at your camp by early evening.

A full day exploring Samburu's riverine forest and semi-arid plains along the Ewaso Nyiro River, looking for the reserve's specialities: Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and beisa oryx, alongside healthy populations of elephant, lion and leopard.

A further full day in the reserve allows time to explore different sections along the river and drier interior, with your guide adjusting the route to recent sightings and, on request, a visit to a nearby Samburu community to learn about local culture.

A final morning game drive before the drive south back to Nairobi, arriving in the late afternoon in time for an onward or international flight.