Travel With Tamara | Kenya's Central Highlands: Quench your Adrenalin Thirst

Climb Mt Kenya

While you’ve surely seen Mt Kenya thrusting dramatically into the sky, have you ever considered climbing it? The climb is challenging, stunning and an absolute must-do in Kenya.

Africa’s second highest mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve, has over 800 recorded species of plants of which 81 are found only on this mountain. High numbers of animals and birds also live here. The mountain’s original name, Kere-nyaga, means Mountain of Brightness; its peaks, gleaming with shimmering glaciers, lure the intrepid towards them.

This remarkable mountain has three craggy peaks and it’s up to you which you target. Batian, the highest, stands at 5,199m and Nelion at 5,188m. Graded level IV by the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme, these peaks combine rockfaces with sheer shining ice and can only be reached with technical climbing equipment. If you’re an experienced climber and know the tricks of the trade – go for it! If you haven’t learned yet but want to give it a go, take a three-month ‘fit for Mt Kenya’ training course before tackling the precipices. African Ascents’ challenging programme teaches you the techniques, first on an indoor training wall, then on cliffs in Hell’s Gate and the Aberdares, before taking on the stunning yet cruel Mt Kenya.

If you want to trek up the mountain, head for Lenana, the third peak. At 4,985m, this is a testing high-altitude ascent. Several routes lead to Lenana, the most popular being Naro Moru, Chogoria and Sirimon. Grab a guide and some porters and hit the slopes. The climb takes between four and seven days depending on your route. Sleeping options are camping or staying in basic mountain huts. Don’t let the mountain’s location on the equator fool you – at this altitude the air is crisp, clear and very very cold. The peak, climbed before dawn, might seem insurmountable. But when you stand on the summit and watch the sun rise, you’ll have a taste of heaven.

Quench your adrenaline thirst at Sagana

Have you dreamt of catapulting from a crane or rafting the rapids? Would you like to whistle down a waterfall or glide down natural slides? Do you love to fly like a fox or plunge from a cliff? Head for Sagana and your dreams will come true.

On the banks of the Tana River, Kenya’s longest river, is a town known for most of its life – if it was known at all – as a little industrial centre. How that has changed! Adventure sports burst onto Sagana’s scene and the face of the place was changed forever.

First on site was the Savage family, who established Savage Wilderness in 1990. Enticed by the frothing water, the team initiated a bunch of white-water rafting activities. With classes of II to V rapids, the Tana River has some of Kenya’s longest drops and currents that will set your heart racing. Jump in your raft and hit the rapids for an afternoon, a day or a week.

Other companies were quick to see the significance of the site and the river is now home to a bunch of companies offering a vast selection of adventure sports. You can rush down the river in a kayak, on a tube or in an inflatable raft. You can slide down the rocks or leap from their tops. You can bungee jump and you can mountain bike. You can zip line over a waterfall or balance on a stand-up paddleboard beneath it. You can climb up a cliff, abseil down it or throw yourself off it into the foaming pools below.

For those who truly are adventurous, why not try it all? Take the adrenaline junky challenge and undertake a combo of hair-raising experiences. At the end of the day, when your heart is thumping and your muscles shaking, sit on the banks of the river, gaze at the beauty of the site and relax with an ice-cold Tusker.