Kenya is located in the eastern part of Africa. It has an area of about 150,000 square kilometers. It is a very popular tourist destination and also a hotspot for climbing and hiking. In the central highlands a couple of hundred kilometers north of the equator lays Mt.Kenya. It is here, where the Kikuyu god ngai resides. It is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest in Africa. It is one of the few places near the equator on Africa with permanent glaciers. The name of the country has been known to have been derived from Mt.Kenya which was formerly known as Mount Kirinyaga.
The mountain is located 180 kilometers north of
Nairobi and it can often be seen from high-rise buildings
in Nairobi and from Thika. It is an extinct volcano, which
formed a couple of million years ago. The mountain is
located in the Mount Kenya National Park, which is a
designated protected area around the mountain above 3200m
altitude. The Kenya Wildlife Service manages the park. The
national park covers an area of 700 square kilometers and
was established in 1949.
Kenya enjoys an equatorial climate with average annual temperatures of about 26oC and diurnal temperatures of about 3oC. There are two rainy seasons on the mountain from April-June and October-December. The mountain is an important water catchment area and many rivers such as the Naro Moru emerge from the melting glaciers.
The first documented ascent of the mountain was by Halford Mackinders. At the moment the mountain attracts several thousand climbers both local and international annually. It is this popularity, which has contributed to the deterioration of the environment and the litter accumulation.
At the base and around this mountain are famous hotels such as the Mount Kenya Safari Club, Outspans, Naro Moru River Lodge, Treetops, Mountain Lodge, Bantu Lodge and several others. Tourists who do not wish to climb often visit the hotels for the view, luxury accommodation, fresh air and the tranquil atmosphere.
Compared to Mt.
Kenya Africa’s highest mountain Kilimanjaro is a
relatively easy climb and the main summit of Uhuru peak
(5895m) can be
reached by most climbers. The mountain, though the highest
is relatively
a boring climb with not much scenery or change in
landscape. The origin
of the name Kilimanjaro still remains a mystery and is
thought mean a
great hill in Kiswahili. It is also thought that Mount
Kilimanjaro once
belonged to Kenya up until the division of the British
empire in east
Africa when the Queen of England altered the border of the
two nations to
accommodate the mountain onto Tanzania. After that local
history has it
that the presidents of the two nations agreed on a trade;
Mount
Kilimanjaro will be part of Kenya if Kenya hand over
Mombasa to Tanzania
which did not happen as Kenya would loose a strategic port
and its second
largest city.
Though Kilimanjaro is relatively dry and can be climbed
all year round the
main dry climbing season begins from January-February and
June-September.
For climbers with limited time one can easily fly to
Kilimanjaro
International airport from either Nairobi or Dar es salaam
and stay
overnight in Moshi or Arusha town.
The Mount Kenya Clean Up Mission 1998 was formed in
May 98. It was an idea based on previous attempts by the
community to clean the mountain. Financial backing and funding was done
entirely by local companies. Today the establishment is
not active and the main aim remains to create
environmental awareness and educate climbers on the
necessity to conserve the environment on the mountain. No
Picnic on Mount Kenya.
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Revised:
02 Apr 2006