Mount Kenya National Park, National park and World Heritage Site in central Kenya
Mount Kenya National Park is a protected area and UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Kenya, covering the second highest peak in Africa and the land around it. The terrain moves through tropical forest, open moorland, and bare rocky ridges as the elevation rises toward the glaciated summits.
The park was created in 1949, making it one of the earliest protected areas in East Africa. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, at the same time it was recognized as a biosphere reserve.
The Kikuyu people call the mountain Kirinyaga, a name meaning something close to the mountain of brightness or whiteness. In villages around the base, some traditional homes are still built facing the peak, a practice that shows how present the mountain remains in everyday life.
A permit is required to enter and climb in the park, and taking time to acclimatize before going higher helps avoid altitude sickness. Weather on the mountain can shift quickly, so warm and waterproof gear is worth bringing regardless of the forecast.
Mount Kenya sits almost exactly on the equator, yet its upper slopes carry glaciers that hold ice year-round. Those glaciers have been shrinking for over a century, and comparing old photographs from the early 1900s with what you see today makes that change very visible.
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