Mount Kenya

A 5,199-metre extinct volcano in central Kenya, the second-highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro. Mount Kenya is geologically older than Kilimanjaro and has been substantially eroded; the summit complex consists of two main peaks — Batian at 5,199 metres and Nelion at 5,188 metres — that are the eroded volcanic plug remnants of a much larger original volcano. The Kikuyu name Kirinyaga is associated with creation narratives in which the mountain is the residence of Ngai, the supreme deity. The peak is sacred in the Kikuyu religious tradition and was historically off-limits for casual ascent.

The first ascent of Batian came in 1899 by an English party led by Halford Mackinder, with the guides César Ollier and Joseph Brocherel from the Italian Alps. The team reached the summit on September 13, 1899 — the first ascent of any major peak in equatorial Africa. The technical difficulty of the climb was substantial for the era. The summit ridge of Batian involves sustained fifth-class rock climbing on the upper mountain, and Mackinder's expedition required several days on the upper route. The first ascent of Nelion followed in 1929 by a British party.

The standard route to Batian today is the South Face Route — a sustained rock climb that involves multiple pitches of moderate fifth-class climbing on solid volcanic rock. The route is substantially more technical than any standard route on Kilimanjaro, requiring genuine rock climbing skills rather than the trekking skills that suffice for the higher African mountain. Most climbers attempt Mount Kenya after summiting Kilimanjaro, finding the technical character of the climb a different category of challenge. The fatality rate has been moderate. The climbing season runs primarily January through February and June through October, when the dry weather pattern produces consistent route conditions.

Mount Kenya is climbed by approximately 500 summit attempts per year on the technical routes — substantially fewer than the trekking peak Point Lenana, the third-highest summit of the massif at 4,985 metres, which receives approximately 15,000 trekkers per year. For climbers seeking technical mountaineering in equatorial Africa, Mount Kenya is the only major objective. The summit views, on the rare clear morning, extend across the Kenyan highlands to the Rift Valley and to Kilimanjaro 320 kilometres south on exceptionally clear days.