Reviews

  We are so thankful to "GotoMountKenya", to our Guide Zachary (Mr DotKom!), our Cook David, and our Porters Jimmy, Cyrus & Eric for their guidance and support in this amazing... read more experience to hike Point Lenana. The route Chogoria-Sirimon was gorgeous, and we safely made it to the top with the help of Zachary, after walking up to a beautiful fool moon. the experience will stay with us for many years. We highly recommend this company and wish the best of luck to all the employees that made this happened.

  EXCELLENT experience in fulfilling my desire to trek Mount Kenya ! YES - a solo white FE with 3 Kenyan guys - guide, cook, porter ..... we... read more made a team - and DID it !!! Meals were amazing, hiking/guiding outstanding - and summiting Lenana at...More

  My husband Harry and I are VERY satisfied with the execution of our Mt Kenya hike ! We cannot express into words how professional, skilled, kind, absolutely patient and heroic... read more our guide Josphat was! Even when I fell sick and my legs could not take one more step, Our guide in his flexibility carried me on his back untill the other amazing porters could meet us half way with a stretcher to carry me to the camp! The cook Daniel was so thoughtful, he Changed meal plans just to accommodate my needs when I fell sick! Our dedicated, friendly, kind, and very professional porters Boniface, Eric and Joram, we cannot thank you enough! They carry so much weight with such positive attitudes and smiles! The only reason I especially made it to point lenana was our guide Josphat. He refused to give up on me even when I gave up on myself, he kept encouraging me all the way and motivated me to take just one more step. Simon the driver was so kind and friendly! Mr Evans is very prompt in his responses and the commutation under our planning was always very effective ! This team right here is the Winning team! My husband and I highly recommend gotomountkenya.com if you desire a Mt Kenya hike and we definitely recommend the winning team that got us to the top even with my unforseen and unexpected illness. We thank our flexible, kind, attentive, professional and helpful guide Josphat so much for our unforgettable Mt Kenya hiking adventure, we thank our amazing and thoughtful cook Daniel, we thank our wonderful, hardworking and kind porters Boniface, Eric and Joram, and we thank our punctual and kind driver Simon
Kind regards
Stephanie and Harry
From Norway

  Amazing 8 days in the Beautiful area of Mount Kenya National Park. Couldn't show our appreciation enough to John and the Team. Without the experience probably preferred when climbing Moubt... read more Kenya Nelion/Batian, John definitely helped us and made us feel confident and 100% safe. With John's expertise, we knew we would make it to the top and back. I'd like to say a massive thanks to John David Eric Ezekiel Joel Kelvin Moses And Evans An experience of a lifetime. Highly Highly Recommend this team when venturing up Mount Kenya. Thanks.

  Evans at Go To Mount Kenya set us up perfectly with a great guide in Paul and transportation to and from Nairobi for our Trip. Paul and team were... read more perfect - good food, solid porters and Paul’s gentle guidance and thorough knowledge of the region...More

  We had an amazing time with Paul and his team. Paul was extremely knowledgeable about the mountain, fauna and flora. The food was really good so thank you to Daniel... read more for all your hard work with the cooking 🙂 We highly recommend going up on...More

  We have just completed the 5-day Chogoria-Sirimon Mount Kenya Trek and it was incredible. Prior to the trip there was prompt and clear email communication from Evans. During the trek,... read more Samson was a great guide - very knowledgeable, setting an appropriate pace for us, encouraging when we were finding it tough and very flexible when we felt that some altitude symptoms might mean the plan needed to change. The support of Martin, Bonface and Naf as porters was invaluable, and Daniel's food was amazing - better than we have had anywhere else in Kenya! Good camping spots each night. The timing of the route suited us and the scenery is beautiful. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Go To Mount Kenya - we don't have any negatives

  I have this thing about great trips, trips that have a cauldron of stories, laughs, special moments, anything and everything. And hanging over the cauldron are all those amazing people... read more who make sure it all works, who react calmly, are knowledgeable, conversational, people you want...More

  Could not travel due to other circumstances. The communication between the myself and the company with regards to that was less than sympathetic. It seems the companies are too keen... read more to get your deposit and not keen to release it afterwards should you not be...More

  I booked with GotoMountKenya as they had great reviews and I have to agree. Prior to the hike Evans provided all the info I needed and was prompt with responding... read more to emails. I was already in Nairobi and was picked up early and driven to...More

  I found Go To Mount Kenya on google and called Evans to book the trip.

Communication with Evans via phone and email was super efficient and helpful, which... read more assured me the professional service I was expecting for.

My guide Zachary, along with his team Simon, David and Michael offered me great help along the way, lending their bottle to keep my sleeping bag warm, carrying extra weight for my summit and serving warm, delicious and nutritious food for every single meal. I’m super grateful for the experience.

It was a challenge to go up, do prepare yourself well with the camping gear list provided on the website. Keep light spirits and stay warm. The view is spectacular.

  We climbed Mt. Kenya point Nelion in the toughest day of my life. First half of the wall was climbed in 2 hours, rocks were still dry. Then snowfall started... read more and it became nightmare. It took us 4 more hours in heavy snow to get...More

  Amazing trip with “go to mount Kenya”. Booking through Evans was seamless and the team on the ground sensational . Highly recommended

  I have only positive things to say about Gotomountkenya. They replied to all of our e-mails/questions always very promptly before the trip. We had an amazing team hiking for those... read more 5 days with Paul, David, and Samson, Daniel and Benson, the porters, all helping in every way they could, and even beyond, doing everything to make our life easier and having us spending a good time (it was my birthday during the trek and they even manage to cook a surprise cake !!!!!). They really contributed to make this expérience magical. Will definitely recommend them to anyone wanting to do Mount Kenya.

  Thanks for the amazing experience, Paul, John, Daniel, Steven and Bonfaz!
I can only recommend the agency. Paul’s guiding during the hike was fantastic. Even though we were not able... read more to aim for the Batian summit as planned due to the worst conditions ever with too much snow, ice and rain, climbing at Batian with John was fun. The food and services were great, and the team did an amazing job in fulfilling any wish I might have (including hot water bottles to take with me in my sleeping bag at night).
Asante sana, it was a pleasure to explore this wonderful mountain with you.

  My experience was rather strange and most of all not at all what i expected1The first 2 days of our 4 day hike was amazing and got support from our... read more guide.The 3rd day aka ascending day however, was completely different with the guide being very discouraging and going on how i was too slow which means would slow him down during descend. Ultimately, he abandoned me just 15mins away from the peak.(caves) and completely disappeared with my hike partner(foreigner) allowing just her to reach the peak not caring or worrying for my safety. Luckily a German guy and his guide came to my rescue and we descended together.Once we met up with the guide again he never seemed bothered by it at all despite my not getting to summit nor my safety even with the other guides telling him that was unprofessional and dangerous.

  Excellent experience! Emails answered quickly by Evans; everything done on time by the whole competent team, lots of good, fresh food, dedicated attention, lots of interesting informations on tour about... read more Kenya and the mountains from Paul our guide, David the cook, our porters Eric, Stephen,...More

  Had a fantastic few days with Go To Mount Kenya. We went for 4 days (3 nights) and our guide Zachary was excellent, professional and we felt very safe... read more with him at all times. The climb to the summit was beautiful and the views from the top are stunning. The team of porters, chef (great food!) and guide made the trip very memorable for us and we will be recommending this company to our friends and family!

  Personal note, I have travelled to climb big mountains before, but chose to go with a local guide service this time, rather than a western guide. I went to... read more Mount Kenya solo Aug/Sep of 2021 with Go To Mount Kenya. My plan was to climb Batian by the North Face Route. When I was delayed by fickle air traffic, I notified them of my one-day delay, which they accommodated without hesitation. I was picked up at my Nairobi hotel on a Saturday morning and returned there the following Friday evening. I took their "package". This included a driver, a trip guide, a climbing guide, a cook and two porters. This entourage was more of an indulgence than I am used to. In the city and in the car, all wore masks, but when spread out on the trail, the masks came off. They have an itinerary which allows for gradual acclimatization over several days - I had no altitude problems. They tried to accommodate my diet (vegetarian), but included some foods I ordinarily do not eat (eggs, cheese). They kept an eye on me to make sure I was safe and not over-extended. I topped Point Lenana and perhaps higher on my climb. While I felt myself pampered - personal tent, wash water before meals, afternoon tea, meals served on a tablecloth with metal cutlery, and carrying most of my gear - I would not say the luxury rose to the level of "glamping", which you might get on a safari. I ate as much as I wanted, and was embarrassed at times by the volume of food offered to me. The food was delicious and there was fresh fruit at most meals, carried in by the porters. I learned a good deal - history, botany, Swahili, zoology - primarily from my guide. English is an official language in Kenya, but I had trouble understanding the English of most Kenyans, except my guide who spoke a more westernized English. Although this was dry season, mountains make their own weather, and there were afternoon storms most days, which rained, sleeted and snowed on us. I can hire Go To Mount Kenya, but I cannot hire the weather. As a result, my rock climb to the summit was turned back due to snow at higher altitudes. The climbing guide kept me safe all the way up and back down again (15-20 rappels). As a result, I set a personal record for climbing at altitude. I had the chance to meet other trekkers and climbers at Shipton's Camp. My impression was that I was better cared-for than those who had hired other companies. On the way out, my guide found a Covid testing service, which met us on the road back to Nairobi. I had the Covid test results a day later, before my flight back. This was well above my expectations. Would I go again? Yes (there is still that summit . . .). Would I hire Go To Mount Kenya again? Yes. Expect to be well treated. Don't expect to get the experience you might get from a western guiding company. Footnote: read up on tipping before you go. It is part of the cost of service.

  My goodness, what an experience! I have done strenuous hiking before, but never at this altitude. I should have trained at higher altitude before attempting this climb since you don’t... read more really know how the body will react until you’re there. My reaction to exerting myself at altitude was that my legs were very quick to fatigue and my balance went all wonky. My traveling partner did not have such difficulty, but has always been better with endurance sports than I have.

Our guide was Zachary (a.k.a. “Dot Com”— there is a great story behind the nickname), and I’m sure I tested his patience more than a couple times with how slowly I needed to go, but he never made me feel rushed or shamed. He was encouraging without being pushy, and kept me safe and alive! Thank you Dot Com!! I can’t believe I actually made it to the Lenana Peak! Just keep putting one foot in front of the other!

The rest of the support crew — porters Paul, Daniel, and Silas, and cook David made this a wonderful experience. Paul met us in Nairobi for the 4+ hour drive to start the Chogoria-to-Sirimon route and was very kind and personable, making us feel comfortable from the get-go. The quality of food was surprisingly good for being on a mountain — savory pancakes, eggs, seasoned chicken, vegetable stew, fresh fruit (had our first tree tomatoes a yum). They were even able to accommodate dietary restrictions.

Evans, the chief guide who organizes each tour, was prompt with his responses to my email inquiries as well.

This is a well organized tour company with experienced and knowledgeable employees, and I would recommend them highly for anyone thinking about climbing Mt. Kenya.

  From the organization to the real deal, GoToMountKenya offers the best service you can dream of.
My trekking route was the Chogoria – Sirimon in 5 days. The hike is... read more just sensational, landscapes are so different from what I’m used here in the Italian Alps, almost feels like a different planet. The variety of lobelias is just ridiculous
And Lenana words cannot tell, just go and see!

The trek organization was flawless and the team was just incredible.
My main guide was Samson, a very knowledgeable, skilled and cool guy, I stressed him out with tons of questions and information, can’t thank him enough for his professionality and the quality time I’ve spent with him. We also managed to reach the summit first, way before the sunrise to peacefully enjoy the first lights. Thank you for that my friend!
The support team was composed of the legendary Wamugunda and die-hard Arsenal fan Kadorima. These guys are just incredible, they travel at the speed of light with huge backpacks, set-up the tent in no time, cook delicious food, provide warm water and soap to wash your hands.
They definitely spoil you wish I could always get them around when I go mountains 😀

As you can understand, I had a blast!
Asante sana team! We’ll meet again one day!

Last note, I highly recommend the Chogoria route to climb up to Lenana, you will meet almost no people and you will have the entire mountain for you and your team. Also the 5 days trek will allow you to deeply connect with the majestic nature of this park.

Happy hike!

  We returned last week from a six day hike up Mount Kenya with GTMK. The entire exercise was very well planned and executed, from our initial contact with Evans to... read more Simon’s dropping us off back in Nairobi. The team on the mountain was excellent: friendly,...More

  Note: I believe that any climb of Mount Kenya could contain significant challenges and I recommend the great list of gear on the site- I followed it and ended up... read more using almost all the gear. The team will be more than happy to carry excess gear up to the limit, just bring an extra waterproof bag for it

On to the review: I find that the company is consistent, responsive and professional. Evans quickly answered all my initial questions on email. The guide Paul was punctual, arriving early at my hotel. He was also detail oriented, taking care of my extra baggage and all the way to dropoff at hotel at the end. He was also knowledgeable about wildlife throughout, answered my questions and pointed out several species of local floors and fauna. Most importantly I think he made a reasonable assessment of my abilities to continue, faced with some difficulties at 4200 meters. My understanding is that he is trained to assess altitude related illnesses and will make the right decision. All of the crew have several years of experience on this mountain. Let's not forget the porter Stephens and the cook Daniel: my meals were always on time. Let's say I probably didn't lose any weight.

One additional element about this trip is if you do Chogoria/Sirimon route you'll have a leisurely Nature hike through the forest on day four with chances to spot a Zebra as I did.

Overall this was an amazing experience.

  5 day Chogria-Sirimon route. We had a fantastic experience with Zachary ( dot-com) and his kind, encouraging and hard working team to ensure we had the best time possible. Special... read more mention to Desmond, one of the porters who always had a smile on his face and was a pleasure to spend time with.
We had had excellent communication with Evans beforehand and driver Simon was great too, adjusting pick up times and communicating with the hotel driver at the drop off after the trek.
We were very impressed with the quality of food, particularly the effort to ensure there was gluten free food for my wife who is Coeliac. Similarly when my wife was cold one night high up in the tents, she was given a bottle of hot water to keep warm during the night.
The summit was a real challenge but with careful encouragement we made it for a beautiful sunrise.
One thing we might have taken is a four season sleeping bag as we were still cold with the hired ones. Go to mount Kenya provide roll up mattresses, in our prior experience inflatable mats would maybe have worked better. Our first night was jn a really nicely maintained cabin at Anabas camp, completed with fire which was a nice way to start. The remaining nights were spent in camps where the team situated our tent in a beautiful location and awoke us early when the mist/clouds had lifted and there was a beautiful sunrise. Communication about wake up times/breakfast/set off times was always clear. There would always be a bowl with some soap and hot water to wash our hands before meals.

We would highly recommend the Chogria-Sirimon route as the Chogria route up was beautiful with several small additionally walks such as to Lake Ellis, a waterfall and some caves. It also has a steady increase in altitude helping adjustment. We only saw two or three other groups coming down whilst we went up Chogria, the Sirimon path was much busier. The summit day is tough but started with a hot drink and some biscuits and there was a delicious cooked breakfast waiting for us at Shipton’s camp on the route down.

We would highly recommend go to mount Kenya for a wonderful experience.

  We had an incredible experience trekking to Point Lenana with our Guide Paul and our four Porters. They took care of us better than we ever could, the cook prepared... read more exceptional food that essentially ruined all of our own backpacking staples. Every morning after a massive breakfast they sent us on our way while they cleaned up camp, only to fly by us less than an hour later with their packs that were 4 times heavier than ours. By the time we reached camp they had our tent set up and hot water for coffee and tea waiting! Paul educated us on ecology of the area and answered our incessant questions on Kiswahili, all while ensuring we were doing well and making sure we didn't go too fast (at least that wasn't hard). We did the Chegoria to Sirimon route in 4 days, we did a really short first day from the gate to "special camp" (3.6 km) the second day we hiked to Road-head with a detour to Lake Ellis. This allowed us to ascend to Mintos camp the next day along the Gorges Valley, which we highly recommend, it was incredible scenery. After you get to Mintos MAKE SURE you do the five minute walk to "the temple" probably the second best view after the summit. The last day we summited and descended all the way to Old Moses, it was a long day, but we think the slow ascent was beneficial for acclimatization. If you have 5 days the last day won't be so long. Great pre trip communication by Evans, very fast responses. Very different than normal backpacking, but awesome experience, highly recommend.

  My wife and I had a wonderful 5 day trek to Point Lenana (Chogoria-Sirimon traverse). Paul is an amazing and outstanding guide: despite our ages of 56, we were first... read more on top of Point Lenana to admire the sunrise on a perfect day! Paul and his team have been outstanding to give us the best mountain experience: living for 5 days on Mount Kenya, showing us the beauty of flowers, plants and animals, and offering excellent food and help while hiking and staying overnight in tents at beautiful spots. Evans organized everything for us in a very professional way and Simon is a highly responsible and excellent driver. We highly recommend to go with "Go to Mount Kenya". …

  I did the 5-day Chogoria-Sirimon route as a solo female traveller with Go To Mount Kenya. It was great! It was very well organised; Evans was super responsive to all... read more my many questions. Even a last minute change of dates for medical reasons was accommodated. Paul (guide), Lewel (cook) and Steven (porter) were all a real pleasure to be around with and did a stellar job, from cooking delicious meals, giving me detailed briefings, finding the best spots for my tent, regularly checking in how I am doing, etc. They treated me very respectfully and kindly; I felt very well taken care of. It was a great experience and I can only recommend this company to anyone contemplating doing Mt Kenya. …

  Go To Mount Kenya was recommended by a friend and I can see why. From my initial enquiry, Evans was extremely responsive and accommodating, I'm just sorry I didn't actually... read more meet him. But I had the A team looking after me on the mountain -...More

  We had an overall excellent experience. The pickup from hotel back to our hotel. Simon our driver maneuvers us in the busy Nairobi traffic. Zacharia our guide that got us... read more ip and down the mountain safe David that kept us fed all the time. We...More

  I cannot recommend Go to Mount Kenya Climbing enough. The service was excellent from the moment I landed in Nairobi. The driver, Simon, made me feel at home instantly and... read more the three hour drive flew by. Samson and his team were excellent guides and I don’t think the experience would have been nearly as fun without them. Don’t hesitate to contact this company if you have questions or would like to customize your trip. …