Mount Kenya is considered one of the highest. It is located in equatorial latitudes in the eastern hemisphere. The geographic peak is located in the East African Mountains (Africa) - East Central Kenya.
Country Kenya
What country is Mount Kenya in? It is located in Africa, in the same country. It occupies the East African coast of the Indian Ocean. The country is called the cradle of the human race.
During excavations on Lake Turkana, tools and the remains of the first humanoid inhabitants were found. They lived in this area over 3 million years ago.
Kenya population
Over 50 African tribes form the ethnic diversity of the country. Part of the tribes consists of only 1-2 thousand people. They do not have traditional clothes, so today it is difficult to distinguish belonging to one of the tribe.
The official language is English and Swahili.
Mount Kenya
The country got its name thanks to the mountain, which is an inactive volcano. According to various legends, he was a haven of a local African deity - Kikuyi. The mountain is the highest in Kenya and the second highest in Africa (after Kilimanjaro).
Kenya is an ideal travel destination for those who cannot imagine their life without mountain trails and ascents.
Origin of the mountain
The mountain is a stratovolcano that arose about 3 million years after the appearance of the East African Rift. For many thousands of years the mountain was covered with ice crusts. As a result, at the peaks you can observe a lot of erosion, a huge number of valleys that diverge from the center.
Mount Kenya (photo can be seen below) is different from its larger brother (Kilimanjaro), whose peak looks smooth, like a dome under the snow. The top of the mountain looks like a sharp splinter bursting into the vault of heaven. This “fragment” is nothing more than a volcanic plug that has formed in the crater’s vent.
Today the mountain has 11 glaciers and is considered a valuable source of water for most residents of the same country.
First discoverer
In 1849, they learned about an extinct volcano. Johann Ludwig Krapf found him, who can be considered the discoverer of the volcano. He was a European. But then most scientists negatively spoke about the possible existence of glaciers in the immediate vicinity of the equator. The fact that there really is a mountain was confirmed only in 1883. After four years, Mount Kenya has already received researchers.
Nature
The mountain has eight various natural belts. The slopes are covered with various types of forests, where you can find many plants and animals characteristic of the mountainous terrain.
Due to the fertility of the land up to 2000 m on the mountain tribes are actively farming. Above are forests with cedar, where you can find ferns, olive groves, creepers.
After passing about 2.5 thousand meters, you can see thickets of bamboo, whose height reaches 12 meters.
To preserve nature, a National Park was created in 1949. It occupies about 715 square meters. m. The park has the same name. Organized at a distance of about 3200 m from the foot.
In 1997, the park became a World Heritage Site under the auspices of UNESCO. Every year in the park there are over 15 thousand visitors.
Mount Kenya is an important tourist attraction for the region and the country. The leadership of the Republic formed the park based on the following considerations:
- to protect the beautiful nature of the mountain;
- preserve the diversity of flora and fauna on the mountain and park;
- keep drinking keys for tribes near the mountains.
What is usually done in the National Park:
- observe the behavior of rare and endangered species of animals;
- observe the behavior of birds (over 130 species);
- carry out walks;
- visit the Ol Paget nursery.
Glaciers
11 glaciers were discovered on the mountain. In 1980, their area was measured. It is equal to 0.7 square meters. km But since then it has declined markedly. There are photographs of the mountains that have been preserved since the beginning of the observations. Their comparison with modern images clearly shows that there is a decrease in the area of glaciers. Experts believe that over the next 30 years there will not be a single piece of land left on the mountain where snow can be found.
Mountain and culture of the country
Mount Kenya, where you can observe virgin nature, is home to several tribes. She acts as an integral part of their life, culture and life.
The Kikuyu tribe believes that the mountain is sacred. Therefore, they erect the dwellings face-down towards the top. At the same time, the entrance doors are located as close to the mountain as possible. The tribe lives on the western and southern slopes. The main occupation is agricultural work. This is facilitated by the fertile lands that are at the bottom of the mountain.
The tribe believes that the god Ngai, coming from heaven, lived on this peak. And the father of the tribe, in whose honor it is named, met with him.
They call Mount Kirinyaga, a free translation of the word means "shining mountain." This is because the rays of the sun are reflected from the ice crust covering the top. They call the god of the tribe Mwene Nyaga, freely interpreted as "master of the world."
The Embu tribe lives on the southeast slope. It is similar to the previous people in that they build their homes, turning them facing the mountain. The deity that lives on top is called Ngai. Mount Kenya for them is called Kiri Nyeru, or White Mountain . This tribe has close ties with the Mbeyer tribe, living on the windward side of an extinct volcano. The lands of this people are arid and rocky.
Masai are semi-nomads grazing on the northern foot of their animals. It is believed that previous generations lived on top of this extinct volcano and descended from it during the birth of life. For them, this volcano is called Ol-Dono-Keri, in the literary translation implies "a mountain of stripes of different colors." The name indicates that the mountain has several natural zones, which are species from the plains.
Ameru live on the northern and eastern foothills. In general, they prefer to erect farmland, graze animals. The mountain for them has the name Kirimara (that which has white material). Many songs have been compiled in honor of the mountain. But the god of the tribe (Ameru) came down from heaven, not from the mountain.
How to get there
From Nairobi, the journey will take about two and a half hours by car. This is about 175 km, the road to the north-east.
It is very comfortable to drive to Mount Kenya from the nearby national parks.
It is possible to visit the mountain using the services of local airlines. Arriving at the local Nanyuki airport, one should drive to the area where Mount Kenya is located.
There are several gates in the park near the mountain.
When is the best time to go?
The best time to visit the mountain and explore its surroundings is the beginning of the year and the beginning of autumn (August-September). Then there is comfortable dry and warm weather.
Have a nice trip and discover new roads!