Lake Michaelson

Lake Michaelson lies in a glacial basin at the head of the Gorges Valley on the eastern side of Mount Kenya, with the cliff called the Temple rising several hundred metres directly above it. It is the reason a great many trekkers choose the Chogoria approach over the shorter ones, and the reason a good number of them say afterwards that the lake, not the summit, was the best thing about the week.

The Setting

The valley is a textbook glacial trough radiating out from the peaks, cut when the ice on this mountain was far larger than the twelve remnant glaciers that survive today. The lake sits in the cirque at its head. The Temple, the rock wall on its western side, stands more than 300 metres above the water, and the effect from the lakeshore is of being at the bottom of something enormous.

Above the lake, on the lip of the basin, sit Hall Tarns and the camp usually called Minto’s Hut, at around 4,200 metres. That lip is the classic viewpoint: the trail on the Chogoria route runs along it, and the lake appears below in one movement rather than gradually. Water from this catchment feeds the upper Nithi, which is why the Gorges Valley is sometimes called the Nithi Valley.

Published altitudes for the lake itself vary between roughly 3,900 and 4,000 metres, and no managing body publishes a figure, so none is asserted here. Kenya Wildlife Service records around twenty glacial tarns on the mountain between 3,950 and 4,800 metres, which is the band this basin belongs to. What matters on the ground is not the number but the descent: the lake sits several hundred metres below the trail, and reaching the shore means giving that height up and taking it back.

Reaching the Lake

Lake Michaelson is on the Chogoria side, reached through Chogoria Gate on the Embu to Meru road. The usual sequence walks in from the gate through forest and moorland, passes Lake Ellis on the lower moorland, then climbs the sweep of the Gorges Valley to Hall Tarns. The leg from Lake Ellis to Lake Michaelson is generally reckoned at around six hours.

From Hall Tarns there are two ways to treat the lake. Most parties look at it from above and carry on, because the trail to Point Lenana does not go down to the water. Parties with a spare day drop into the basin and camp beside the lake, which is the version worth building an itinerary around if the mountain is being walked for scenery rather than for a summit. Route structure and day counts for Chogoria sit on the mountain climbing in Kenya page.

What It Is Like Down There

Cold, sheltered and very quiet. The basin walls cut the wind, which makes camping beside the water more comfortable than the exposed ground above, but they also cut the sun: the lake sits in shadow for a large part of the day and frost on the tent is normal. Sunrise arrives late and sunset early, so the hours of warmth are short.

The vegetation is high moorland, giant groundsel and lobelia on the slopes, tussock grass and sedge near the water. Rock hyrax are the wildlife most people actually see at this altitude, along with the birds of the alpine zone. Below the lake the outflow drops over Vivienne Falls into the lower valley.

Fishing the High Lakes

Sport fishing in the high-altitude lakes and tarns is among the activities Kenya Wildlife Service lists for Mount Kenya National Park, which is unusual for a Kenyan park. Trout are present in several of the mountain’s waters and a permit is required. Anyone planning it should arrange the permit with the park rather than assume a rod can be produced at the lakeshore.

Practical Points

This is a high camp at altitude. The descent into the basin and the climb back out are both done with a pack and thin air.
Night temperatures here are below freezing in every season, and the basin holds the cold.
Kenya Wildlife Service requires every visitor on the mountain to travel with a qualified and certified guide, with porter loads capped at 25 kg and weighed at the gate.
Disposable plastic water bottles are not permitted in the park, and consumables are declared in and waste declared out.
Conservation fees are charged per person per day, so an added night at the lake is an added day on the ticket. The schedule is on the Mount Kenya guide.

Questions About Lake Michaelson

Can Lake Michaelson be visited without climbing to a summit?

Yes, and it is one of the better reasons to walk on this mountain without aiming at a peak. A Chogoria itinerary that reaches Hall Tarns and the lake and then turns round gives the mountain’s best scenery without the summit morning, and it still needs proper acclimatisation because it goes above 4,000 metres.

How long does it take to get there?

From Chogoria Gate it is a multi-day walk, normally with a night at or near Lake Ellis first. The leg from Lake Ellis up the Gorges Valley to the lake is usually reckoned at around six hours. Day counts vary with acclimatisation and are covered on the mountain climbing page.

Is it better to camp at the lake or look down from above?

They are different experiences. Hall Tarns on the rim gives the wide view of the basin, the Temple and the peaks beyond, and costs nothing in extra descent. The lakeshore gives the scale of the walls and a very quiet night, and costs several hundred metres of height twice over. Parties short of time take the view; parties with a spare day take the camp.

How cold does it get?

Below freezing at night in every month. The basin is sheltered from wind but sits in shadow for much of the day, so frost lingers and the warm hours are short. A four-season sleeping bag is not optional at this altitude.

Is there fish in the lake?

Trout are present in several of Mount Kenya’s high lakes and tarns, and Kenya Wildlife Service lists sport fishing among the activities for this park. A permit is required and should be arranged with the park in advance.

3 Places to Visit in This Area

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

Batian Peak Lake Ellis 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