UKH

Hi

has anyone undertaken an independent trip to climb nelion and or Bation 

advice or useful resources most welcome 

cheers

simon

How independent do you mean? Alpine style? Porters? Not a pre-arranged trip?

Hi

Thanks, was hoping wholly independent, alpine style. Looking for info about the logistics of getting to the start of the actual rock climbing, do you need porters, book ahead for huts wtc

cheers

You need a local guide in the park these days. You could easily find one in Nanuki or off a Kenyan Climbers Facebook group. If you DM me I’ll send you the guy I used number. 

I’ve done it twice.

Once with porters and a guide. Once with two very heavy rucksacks - through we did crack and get our bags porters over point Lenanna. I think the guide is about £30 a day, and porters about £15.

Both were really good trips. It’s a great mountain and lovely country. I’d really recommend trekking in via the chogoria route. 

Last year we took all our hill food from the UK, including freeze dried meals. To be honest it would have been way less hassle and no more money to get a local cook.

I’d maybe bring some hill food and a freeze dried or two for the summit days. Though I’m sure you’d manage just fine with whatever you can buy in Kenya. 

the route is really good. quite intricate route finding. There is a bolts abseil piste off Neilion which is easy to follow if you’ve got a good description. You can go up and down the whole route with a single 60m rope. I wouldn’t both with two. To cross the gates or mist I’d take a pair of crampons and light axe each.

Drop me a line if you want more beta. 

Destination guide I wrote after last years trip:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/mount_kenya-15119

Felice Bernuzzi's account of his incredibly independent trip might contain some useful information.

One thing to note: the Chogoria route is all camping, the Simirion route is all huts.

Hi,

we drove there from UK in 1984, so drove from Nairobi to Naru maru lodge.  We just walked up carrying our gear in big sacks, bivied half way, then on to Austrian hut. Did the normal route up Nelion, didnt do gate of the mists to Batian, all good fun.

Years ago but we slept on the summit in a tin hut. I got so hot (there were 6 of us) I struggled out and slept in the open instead. Great experience but lugging a sleeping bag up a bit of a pain. 

Agree with everything Tom mentions there a great place and a great visit, well worth a trip. I would add a couple of things, I'm actually in a cafe in Kenya as I spend a lot of time here working. Although at the moment its done nothing but torrentially rain!! 

Defo take a cook if you can, the more you can do like that helps folk enormously. 

Tag on a little time to explore the cragging there is so much from established to establish your own. 

There are some changes to the way you enter the parks in Kenya now has to be all done online before you enter a park. Also there have been some very annoying changes to bringing things into the country, there is meant to be a tax on anything of value new or otherwise. Likely to be scrapped but if you find when you collect your bags they have white chalk crosses on them it means the tax man wants to have a look in your bag when you leave so rub them off quickly and problem solved!! 

Well worth a trip and have a look at some other things while there!! 

Enjoy 

I spent the night in that little hut, in 1981, coldest night I've ever had. I was working in Kenya at the time, we just went and did the climb no porters or anything like that. I think it's not so easy going now.

I think I was Dec 1995 but it was so hot and crowded in the tin shack it was joy to sleep out on the summit rocks alone! 

Is it still there I wonder? 

It was still there three weeks ago....

Thanks for the response! I described it as a bit like sleeping 6 people under a double bed in 1995! It "might" have improved.