Africa's second highest mountain at 5,199m forms part of the central highlands and is a very complex mountain. It has more than one peak, many rock spires and summits. Of the three main peaks (Batian, Nelion and Lenana) only Point Lenana can be reached by trekkers, the other two being only for technical climbers.
Although Mount Kenya can be climbed all year round, it is best to avoid the two rainy seasons from mid-March until June and from late October to the end of December. After the cultivated farmlands on the lower slopes the trails pass through the rain forest, rich in trees of many species but noticeably camphor's, then onto a bamboo zone growing to heights of more than 12m or more, up through open moorland before reaching the moonscape of the higher slopes. The forest are rich in wildlife including elephant, buffalo and monkeys with even the moorlands offering along list of mammals including the rock hyrax, the nearest living relative of the elephant.