Burguret – Chogoria

Burguret – Chogoria traverse

  • 6 days

Overview

This route is a challenge: rough trails, overgrown paths used by elephants more than humans, no huts, and dense areas of giant bamboo and montane forests -why would anyone want to take it? Well, it’s for real wilderness aficionados.

The route was created during the colonial days and then it was abandoned for many years until it reopened in the early ’90s. It provides a unique and completely natural mountain trekking experience. It gives you the most spectacular views and a full traverse of Mount Kenya.

You’ll gently hike down a broad ridge whilst enjoying magnificent views, go back up the valley to Mt. Kenya’s snowy peaks, and then you’ll go down to waterfalls, tarns and lava flows in the Gorges Valley itself. Overnight, you’ll stay in the Meru Mt. Kenya cabins, where there are log fires, hot showers, beds – and if the supply vehicles have made it up through the forest, Tusker beers! Seeing wildlife is possible in the evening, with elephants and buffalo often grazing outside of the cabins along with a large number of forest and moorland birds.

Day to day itinerary

You’ll go from Nairobi to Nanyuki for lunch. After lunch, you’ll drive to the Gathiuru forest and take a 4-hour ascent hike through dense areas of towering bamboo sticks to a Giant Bamboo Camp at 2600m. Elephants and buffalo are common here.

You’ll go through enormous podocarpus and pencil cedar forests before you climb to the hagenia rosewood zone at the edge of the moorlands. This is your lunch spot. Then, you’ll head up through the extraordinary giant lobelia and groundsels. You’ll spend the night close to the sheer lava cliffs of the “Highland Castle” at 3700m. Today’s hike takes 5-6 hrs with an ascent of 1100m.

You’ll see spectacular scenery as the jagged volcanic peaks and shimmering glaciers tower above you on your trek around the summit circuit. Turquoise tarns will nestle in the valleys while eagles and buzzards soar overhead – it’s difficult to believe you’re on the equator! You might, for the first time, meet other trekkers here, as you hike for 5-6 hours. You’ll stay at Shipton’s Camp overnight at 4200m.

Before dawn, you’ll start making your attempt to reach the summit. You’ll go up steep screes and a bare rocky track to reach it. It’ll take 3 hours to reach the summit, Pt Lenana at 4,985m in time for the sunrise. Kilimanjaro is usually visible 340kms to the south. You’ll then descend for 2-3 hours to reach the Hall Tarns and have breakfast (4,300m). After breakfast, you’ll gently hike down a broad ridge whist enjoying magnificent views of the snowy peaks, and then you’ll go down to the waterfalls, tarns and lava flows in the Gorges Valley itself. Overnight, you’ll stay at Lake Ellis campsite (3455m)

After breakfast, you’ll descend to the road and you’ll go further down to explore the majestic Nithi waterfalls. You will then go to Mount Kenya Bandas. Overnight, you’ll stay in the Meru  Mt. Kenya cabins, where there are log fires, hot showers, beds – and if the supply vehicles have made it up through the forest, Tusker beers! Seeing wildlife is possible in the evening, with elephants and buffalos often grazing outside of the cabins along with a large number of forest and moorland birds.

For three hours, you’ll walk down through the bamboo forest to get to your vehicle for the return journey to Nairobi. You’ll be arriving in the late afternoon.

Prices are per person based on:

1 person US$ 1,560
2 people US$ 1,420
3 people US$ 1,340

per person

← back to all Kenya trekking & climbing

Bhutan

Bhutan Tour

Get in touch by phone | WhatsApp | email with your preferred dates for your trip

 +44 7761 228972

  WhatsApp

  info@malaikatravel.com