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 only called an area of enchanting beauty and beautiful sights.
Mount Kenya has peaks which are naturally crowned with snow, and its slopes are covered with woods. Here you can perform adventurous activities, 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 a few trees half a year old. Straddling the Equator, the mountain provides a unique mosaic of forest, moorland, stone, and ice, and is crowned by the glittering twin peaks of Batain (5,199m) and Nelion (5,188m). Believed to be the sacred home of Ngai, God of the Kikuyu people, Mount Kenya is Kenya’s highest mountain, a climbers mecca, and the state’s namesake. Mount Kenya is a favorite destination for a holiday. 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 area can utilize 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 atmosphere is tantalizingly new with clear rivers running in the slopes, crystal-clear cold water gushing from the woods, skirting the farms and down into the plains. High over the tea farms, the old woods line creates the skyline and behave as mega-sponges, supplying the fresh water and also eye-catching waterfalls.
The Chogoria route is reported to be the most scenic path to the peaks together with the noise of the water at each step along 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 an hour-and-a-half drive from the town with the street from Meru lined with all the old woods filled with the renowned 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 a classic colonial town which has many holiday facilities which can cater for various budgets. For anyone keen on wildlife viewing, the Mt. Kenya National Park might not be the best as it is heavily forested and difficult to observe the animals.