Mt Mtelo is the fifth highest in Kenya, after Mt Kenya, Mt Elgon, Aberdares, and Cherangani Hills. Overlooking the Turkana plains on one side, and the Cherangani Hills on the other, it offers great views all round.

Sacred mountain of the Pokot people

No specialist equipment or training is required for the climb, and different trails can be taken to the campsite and peak, passing through cultivated areas of the Pokot, forest, bamboo, and open moorland, with extensive views of eastern Uganda and north-west Kenya on a clear day. The mountain is considered sacred, as it is described as the cradle of pastoral Pokot according to oral traditions. Mount Mtelo is home to black-and-white colobus monkeys, small antelope, three species of turaco and 10 sunbird species. The altitude means the temperature and humidity are lower than in Marich, making hiking far more comfortable and unfavourable for mosquitoes.

Hiking options Mount Mtelo

2-3 day hike

Marich Pass Field Studies Centre represents a good base to explore the mountain, and guides are available to help you with the ascent. It is a three-day hike to the top and back, and it is advised that hikers stay a night or two at the wonderful Mount Mtelo View Guesthouse, a campsite with cottage accommodation run by the Ywalasiwa family. However, getting to the Mount Mtelo View Guesthouse by vehicle is possible, an amazing drive up the Sekerr escarpment.

1 Day Hike

Starting from Mount Mtelo View Guesthouse. 14km and 1400m ascend. The inclination is more or less constant and there is no single place of technical difficulty. So the hike is suitable for almost everyone, as long as fitness allows. The biggest challenge, a part of the high inclination, is the adaptation to the altitude. It’s common to spend 5 to 6 hours if stops are more often.

The walk takes you through the community gardens of onions, sugar cane and maize on terraced farms.

Places to stay at Mount Mtelo

• Mt Mtelo View Eco Lodge, 1 Day Hike
• Marich Pass Field Studies Centre, 2-3 Days Hike