Mt Kenya-The mountain of whiteness.

 
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (5,199 metres (17,057 ft)), Nelion (5,188 metres (17,021 ft)) and Point Lenana (4,985 metres (16,355 ft)). Mount Kenya is located in central Kenya, just south of the equator, around 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-northeast of the capital Nairobi. Mount Kenya is the source of the name of the Republic of Kenya.
Mount Kenya is a stratovolcano created approximately 3 million years after the opening of the East African rift. It was covered by an ice cap for thousands of years. This has resulted in much eroded slopes and numerous valleys radiating from the centre. There are currently 11 small glaciers. The forested slopes are an important source of water for much of Kenya.
There are eight vegetation bands from the base to the summit. The lower slopes are covered by different types of forest. Many species are endemic to Mount Kenya such as the lobelias, the senecios and the rock hyrax. An area of 715 square kilometres (276 sq mi) around the centre of the mountain was designated a National Park and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The park receives over 15,000 visitors per year.

Mount Kenya is a stratovolcano that was active in the Plio-Pleistocene. The original crater was probably over 6,000 metres (19,700 ft) high; higher than Kilimanjaro. Since it became extinct there have been two major periods of glaciation, which are shown by two main rings of moraines below the glaciers. The lowest moraine is found at around 3,300 metres (10,800 ft). Today the glaciers reach no lower than 4,650 metres (15,260 ft). After studying the moraines, Gregory put forward the theory that at one time the whole summit of the mountain was covered with an ice cap, and it was this that eroded the peaks to how they are today The lower slopes of the mountain have never been glaciated. They are now mainly cultivated and forested. They are distinguished by steep-sided V-shaped valleys with many tributaries. Higher up the mountain, in the area that is now moorland, the valleys become U-shaped and shallower with flatter bottoms. These were created by glaciation. When Mount Kenya was active there was some satellite activity. The north-eastern side of the mountain has many old volcanic plugs and craters. The largest of these, Ithanguni, even had its own ice cap when the main peaks were covered in ice. This can be seen by the smoothed summit of the peak. Circular hills with steep sides are also frequent in this area, which are probably the remains of small plugged vents. However, as the remaining mountain is roughly symmetrical, most of the activity must have occurred at the central plug.
The rocks that form Mount Kenya are mainly basalts, rhomb porphyrites, phonolites, kenytes and trachytes. Kenyte was first reported by Gregory in 1900 following his study of the geology of Mount Kenya.

ETT-Kenya Safaris Desk

Etton Travel and Tours

camping Safaris - You can only truly camp in Africa

Camping safaris

For a safari on a budget choose a camping safari for fun and exciting adventure because You can enjoy lodges all over the world, but you can only truly camp in Africa.

Camping safaris take things one step further by putting you right into the heart of the African wilderness for an adventure that will be remembered for years to come. Camping safaris offer the ultimate way to experience the beauty of Africa,

Masai Mara National Park offers one of the most unforgettable camping safaris in Africa, with the awe-inspiring natural spectacle of the annual wildebeest migration into bordering Tanzania offering a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife experience. Camping in Kenya offers you a real feeling of adventure especially when the nocturnal wildlife comes to graze in the campsites in the night. Most importantly, undisturbed by your presence. African camping safari will let you experience the rich African sounds, the occasional lion roar or laughter of the hyenas at night.

A camping safari itinerary for three days camping in Kenya’s Masai Mara looks like this:

Day 1: NAIROBI-MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE
Depart Nairobi in the morning for a journey south through the floor of the Great Rift Valley. Picnic lunch at Narok. Arrive Mara for late afternoon game viewing enroute. Proceed for an afternoon game drive in the game reserve which is Kenya's finest wildlife sanctuary. Including migrants, well over 450 species of animals have been recorded here. Although July, August and September are the months when the Mara plains are filled with migrating wildebeest and zebra, there is also resident wildlife year round. The famous Maasai tribesmen live within the dispersal area of the game reserve. Dinner and overnight at the Camp. Early evening game drive is taken. Dinner and overnight at campsite.

Day 2: KENYA MASAI MARA GAME PARK
Full day in the park in search of the Big Five. Morning and afternoon game viewing inside the Park. Search for wild game black manned lion for which Mara is famous for, cheetah, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, leopard, grants gazelle are quite common, even the rare rhino might come out of the thicket for you, hyenas are plentiful, Extend one of your drive to the hippo point where schools of hippo submerge on the approach of vehicles only to surface seconds later to shot and gamble their displeasure as the crocodiles sun bathe on the river banks mouths agape. Between meals there is optional visit to the Maasai villages for an insight to their culture if clients so wish. Meals and overnight at Campsite.

Day 3.  MASAI MARA PARK-NAIROBI
Early Morning game drive and return to campsite for breakfast. Depart with game viewing enroute arriving Nairobi in the afternoon.

ETT- Kenya Safaris Desk

Etton Travel and Tours