Lukenya is a group of cliffs located just 45 minutes south of Nairobi (if you take the expressway). There are no facilities in Lukenya, so you need to be self-dependent (take your own water and food, don’t forget to carry all your trash out, and bring a shovel in case you need to use the bathroom). You are using the land at your own risk. You can find topos for Lukenya on The Crag and guidebooks for sale by the MCK.

Access

Lukenya is owned by the Mountain Club of Kenya and entrance is free for members. Non-members have to pay for a daily membership (KES400 for Kenyan citizens, KES800 for others, payable by Mpesa paybill no 880926. Account: Lukenya access). No commercial groups are allowed without a prior agreement with MCK. Some climbs are occasionally off-limits when eagles are nesting (in particular Eagles Nest Face). If this is the case its normally communicated through a climber whatsapp group and on the relevant page on The Crag. Follow all the rules set out here: https://www.mck.or.ke/visiting-lukenya/.

Camping

There’s a campsite on top of the hill, which has no facilities so you need to bring your own water, food, camping gear etc. If you want to make a fire you’ll have to bring your own wood. Never cut trees or bushes down to preserve the environment.

Waste

All waste needs to be taken away with you. There are no toilets in Lukenya, so you’ll need to bury your poop. Please walk well away from the campsite and any trail, dig a hole of at least 20 cm deep and bury any toilet paper and your poop inside. Fill the hole and pack it well so rain doesn’t uncover it.

Animals and insects

In Lukenya you can often encounter giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, dik-diks, hyraxes, baboons, snakes, lizards, tortoises and all kinds of birds (in particular the soaring Verreaux’s Eagle). A leopard and hyena family have also been seen there, but keep to themselves. There are also quite a lot of insects and those you’re most likely to notice are ticks and chiggers. These can leave itchy bites; the best way to protect yourself is to wear long clothing and check for them, especially after you’ve passed through bushes or tall grass.

Climbing

Lukenya has a vast number of trad and sport routes and boulders, from easier (Moderate trad, 4c sport, VB boulder) to harder (E4 trad, 7c+ sport, V9 boulder). The climbing is varied, including face climbs, cracks, overhangs, slabs… Lukenya has excellent rock (gneiss) and it’s a great place to learn trad.

All of the routes are available on TheCrag website under MCK copyright. We’re currently adding photos for the topos.

The also MCK sells two guidebooks for Lukenya: an older one with more routes, and a “newer” one that generally has harder routes. You’ll need at least the older one, and maybe the newer one if you want to climb harder routes. You can find a list of the best routes to learn trad by grade here (in Lukenya and beyond). A standard rack will work well in Lukenya with a set of nuts and a set of cams. Some climbs will require size 4 cams, but those are rarely needed.