Mount Kenya IS THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN KENYA AND THE SECOND-HIGHEST ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT STANDING AT 5199 M (17057 FT) ABOVE THE SEA LEVEL. IT IS LOCATED SOME 150 KM (93 MI) FROM THE CAPITAL CITY OF NAIROBI.

Mount Kenya is an ancient stratovolcano that emerged about 3 million years ago. It has also given the country its name. Mount Kenya is regarded as one of the holy symbols among indigenous local population, and is also part of the Mount Kenya National Park and Mount Kenya Forest Reserve. The ascent offers a variety of scenic views and nature exploration opportunities. In fact, the mountain is a massif consisting of several steep pyramidical peaks, rugged cliffs and eroded ridges.

The summit is covered with diverse glaciers and snow even though the mountain straddles the equator. The first documented ascent took place in 1899 when the British geographer Halford John Mackinder and his Swiss guides César Ollier and Joseph Brocherel managed to reach the peak.

THE FIVE HIGHEST PEAKS IN KENYA:

Mount Kenya - 5199 m (17057 ft), approx. 150 km (93 mi) north-northeast of the capital Nairobi, central Kenya.
Mount Elgon - 4321 m (14177 ft), in the Mount Elgon National Park, at the border between eastern Uganda and western Kenya.
Mount Satima - 4001 m (13127 ft), in the Aberdare Mountain Range, in Nyandarua County, west central Kenya.
Mount Ng'iro - 2848 m (9344 ft), in the Great Rift Valley, northern Kenya.
Mount Longonot - 2776 m (9108 ft), southeast of Lake Naivasha, in the Great Rift Valley, northern Kenya.