Castle Forest Lodge

Climbing Mount Kenya by the Kamweti route begins here, at a lodge built into the forest on the mountain's southern slopes in 1910. The Main House from that year still stands, its three simple rooms set above the kitchen, bar and restaurant, sharing a shower and toilet between them. Guides lead walkers out along old elephant paths through rain and bamboo forest toward the highland moorland, where the Kamweti trail joins the other routes at McKinders camp for the final push to Point Lenana, Mount Kenya's third summit. The walk to the top takes five to seven days. Guests cover five to six hours a day on foot, camping in the bush or near a cabin each night. Around the lodge itself, eight round cottages keep a fireplace lit after dark, and two freestanding chalets look out to the mountain from their own verandahs with hammocks. Bungalows in the original style sit alongside a newer, larger one built for longer stays. A field beyond the buildings takes tents, with hot water and a covered hall for wet weather. Trout run in the rivers on both sides of the property. Around 175 bird species have been recorded in the surrounding forest, alongside elephant, buffalo, leopard and colobus monkeys, and guides on horseback or foot can point out fresh tracks before you see the animal that made them.