High on Africa

Chogoria Route

Mt. Kenya Bandas

3000m - Mt. Kenya

Kenya

5 degrees C

Just a little more about Kenya so far. This has been our first visit and, as with most first visits, we tried finding out as much as we could before we left. Also, as is usually the case, we received many conflicting stories. Kenya is by no means modern, but we have certainly met people with a keen intellect, superb manners and a proud culture. Every person without fail who we have been introduced to, has displayed and mirrored our mutual respect. Last night after a long day travelling with little to eat, Raphael, our host in Kenya, dropped us off at a very nice Italian restaurant called Trattoria in downtown Nairobi. Dawie and I tucked into the extreme luxury of a Pizza and for a brief period of around two hours, were nowhere near the high on Africa experience. It was a taste of luxury to break our expedition mode of the past week.

Leaving early today, we travelled north once more to arrive at Mt. Kenya, location of the second leg of High on Africa. Sleeping for most of the way, we were both jerked awake by an unexpected speedhump, only to find ourselves in a new world. What was earlier a sprawling capital, was now replaced by pristine forests, interspersed by cultivated fields of bananas, coffee and pine apples. We had discovered un undescribed Kenya. Before long, we approached the highlands surrounding the mountain and then, as if in a heartbeat, we were engulfed by equatorial rainforest. Seemingly larger and more dense than those found on Mt. Kilimanjaro, the rainforest on Mt. Kenya is simply to marvel at. Gigantic trees, most often Yellowoods tower over our Land Rover (due to our lack of sleep we were assigned a driver) and we gape in awe as the forest stretches on and on, higher and higher. Eventually, what seems like a thinning in the trees prompts me to ask our guide whether we were now entering the moorland zone, as found on Kilimanjaro. He replies quietly that the moorland zone is only found after the Bamboo forest, which we were about to enter. Having also never been in a bamboo forest, we could also not have prepared for the site unfolding in front of us. Dense bamboo trunks tower almost as high as the trees before them and Dawie and I can only shake our heads in amazement. This has been totally unexpected and comes as a double bonus on top of the scenes seen so far.

Soon the mist engulfs us and we leave the trees and bamboos altogether. We enter the moorland at around 3000 m and the Mt. Kenya Bandas loom up through the curtain of mist. The temperature has also dropped and we stretch for our thermal gear and jackets. Buffalo droppings can be seen all around camp and we can hardly contain our excitement at the prospect of bumping into one of them tonight around camp.

As I type this, we have retired like gentlemen into our Banda and have just had dinner. A blazing fire crackles next to me and the scene seems to have perpetuated itself from our luxury of last night. It's difficult to believe that we're on an expedition to climb two high mountains, but we're extremely thankfull for the break. After Kilimanjaro, we had concurred a day's rest was crucial.

Outside, the mist is now so thick our world has shrunk to a silhouetted banda on a mountain. It's magic and we're definitely High on Africa.

Tomorrow morning we head higher towards Minto's camp from where we will hopefully catch our first glimpse of our goal, the summits of Mt. Kenya. We plan to leave at around 08:00 just after breakfast. Should breakfast prove to be anything like tonight's dinner, we'll have a hard time getting going on such full stomachs.

I tell you, we're High on Africa!!