Lake Ellis

Lake Ellis sits out on open moorland on the eastern side of Mount Kenya, well below the peaks and well below the drama of the Gorges Valley. It is the first night on most Chogoria itineraries, it is the easiest of the mountain’s named lakes to reach, and it is the only one a vehicle can get close to. Those three things together make it the mountain’s most useful lake rather than its most photographed one.

An Open Lake, Not a Basin

The contrast with Lake Michaelson is the point. Michaelson lies in a deep cirque under a wall of rock; Lake Ellis lies in a shallow depression on rolling moorland with the peaks visible in the distance and nothing close overhead. The ground around it is tussock grass, sedge and scattered giant groundsel, cut by streams running down towards the Nithi.

Published altitudes vary between roughly 3,400 and 3,460 metres and no managing body publishes a figure, so none is asserted here. What matters is that it sits well above the forest line and well below the peaks area, which is exactly the height at which a body benefits most from spending a night before going higher.

Getting There

Access is through Chogoria Gate on the Embu to Meru road, about 210 kilometres north of Nairobi. From the gate a rough track climbs through forest to the moorland and a spur runs the last stretch to the lakeshore.

That last stretch is the part worth planning for. Trip reports agree on the character of it: a short distance, a badly broken surface, and a final rocky pitch up to the campsite that defeats vehicles without proper clearance. A four-wheel drive with high clearance and a driver who has done it before is the sensible combination. In the wet it is worse. The alternative is to walk, which is what trekking parties do anyway.

Because a vehicle can reach it, Lake Ellis is the one point on the high moorland that works as a weekend camp rather than as part of a trek. That also means it can be busier at weekends than anywhere else at this altitude on the mountain, which is not what most people expect of Mount Kenya’s moorland.

Why Trekkers Stop Here

On the Chogoria route, Lake Ellis is the standard first camp before the long climb up the Gorges Valley to Hall Tarns and Minto’s Hut. The reason is acclimatisation. A night here sits at a height where the body starts to adapt without being pushed, and it breaks up a gain that would otherwise be made in a single day. The leg on from here to Lake Michaelson is generally reckoned at around six hours.

Parties not going to Point Lenana at all sometimes make Lake Ellis the objective in itself: up on one day, a night on the moorland, back down the next. It is a genuine high-altitude camp without a summit attached, and the stargazing from the open moorland with no tree cover and no town light is as good as anywhere in the country. Route structure for Chogoria is on the mountain climbing in Kenya page, and shorter moorland walking sits with hiking in Kenya.

Fishing

Lake Ellis holds trout, and sport fishing in the high-altitude lakes and tarns is among the activities Kenya Wildlife Service lists for Mount Kenya National Park. A permit is required and should be arranged with the park rather than assumed. The lake’s accessibility by vehicle is why it sees more anglers than the higher waters.

Camping on the Moorland

Nights here are below freezing and the site is exposed, with no shelter from wind in any direction.
Weather turns quickly. Clear afternoons become sleet and back again without much warning at this height.
Kenya Wildlife Service requires every visitor on the mountain to be accompanied by a qualified and certified guide.
Disposable plastic water bottles are not allowed in the park, consumables are declared on entry and waste on exit.
Conservation fees are charged per person per day; the schedule is on the Mount Kenya guide.

General camping practice for Kenyan parks is covered under camping safaris, and the equipment case for a mountain camp is considerably stronger than for a savannah one.

Questions About Lake Ellis

Can you drive to Lake Ellis?

Close to it, in the right vehicle. The track from Chogoria Gate climbs through forest to the moorland, and the final spur to the campsite is rocky enough that high clearance and four-wheel drive are needed, with a driver who knows the line. In wet weather walking the last stretch is often the faster option.

Is Lake Ellis worth visiting on its own?

Yes, for anyone who wants a night on Mount Kenya’s moorland without committing to a summit trek. It is a high camp with open views of the peaks, dark skies and no crowd on a weekday. It is not scenically comparable to Lake Michaelson, which sits under a 300-metre wall, and it does not pretend to be.

How high is it?

Published figures differ, generally between about 3,400 and 3,460 metres, and no park authority publishes one. It is above the forest line and below the peaks area, which is the part that matters for acclimatisation.

Why do Chogoria treks camp here on the first night?

Because the alternative is to gain too much height in one day. A night at Lake Ellis lets the body start adapting before the long climb up the Gorges Valley, and parties that skip it arrive at the high camps with less margin. The mountain climbing guide explains how the ascent profile drives the turn-back rate.

What is the weather like?

Cold, exposed and changeable. Freezing nights all year, strong sun by day, and sleet or hail possible in any month. The drier windows are January to mid-March and late June through September; the rains make the track up from the gate much harder work.

3 Places to Visit in This Area

Other sites in Mount Kenya Safari and Travel Guide, each with its own guide.

Batian Peak Lake Michaelson Point Lenana

Safaris That Visit Mount Kenya

Every safari listed here that visits Mount Kenya. Each is sold and run by an independent tour company. This site lists them and passes on enquiries; it takes no booking and charges you nothing.

Mountain Climbing