Located about 350 kilometers north of Nairobi in Samburu County, Mt Ololokwe has been described as one of the most spectacular sceneries in Kenya.

A drive from Nairobi takes up to eight hours via Nanyuki and Isiolo. Climbing up and down the mountain takes about the same period of time, with the uphill trek to the summit taking four hours while the descent takes three hours.

In the local Samburu language, Ololokwe means "wide head", describing the flat, smooth-rounded rock at the top of the mountain. It is a table-mountain feature, rising up from the dry plains and providing breathtaking sceneries.

According to the Samburu culture, the flat-topped mountain is sacred, and offers dramatic wilderness adventures. Popular activities include scaling the rugged cliffs on a guided hike and camping under the star-studded skies with the experience mirroring the alluring local Samburu culture.

Mt Ololokwe in Samburu.

Photo credit: Peter Ndung’u | Nation Media Group

The fees for climbing the mountain include a community conservancy fee of Sh2,000 per person per day and a camping fee of Sh500 per day with the local guides charging up to Sh2,500.

Travel agencies organizing trips for tourists charge Sh12,500 while premium travellers can cough up to Sh35,000 per person per day. However, for luxury travelers using chopper rides, the cost is astronomical.

The famous Mt. Ololokwe which is also known as the Sacred Mountain.

Chopper rides over the mountain provide magical scenes, a preference of the super-rich and a favourite destination for high networth individuals who frequent its remote and luxurious lodges.

One of those who perished in the crash is Kenyan pilot and Director of African Heli Adventures, Josh Outram.

2026-08-19T123617Z_232790291_RC2O1NAVMOMN_RTRMADP_3_KENYA-HELICOPTER-CRASH-TOURISM — Rescue officials work at the site of a tourist helicopter crash that caused multiple casualties, according to the police, in Samburu County, Kenya, August 19, 2026.

Photo credit: Reuters

Mr Outram is described as a highly experienced pilot having operated in the rugged Northern Kenya as a tour operator and supporting security surveillance in wildlife conservancies for several years.

In an earlier interview with Loisaba's Elewana Collection, Outram detailed his passion for flying and exploration of northern Kenya.

WhatsApp Image 2026-08-19 at 13.27.22 — No survivors: All seven occupants in Samburu aircraft crash have died

He said the helicopter offers tourists access to remote and completely untouched places in Kenya’s north.

"I am hugely passionate about flying and what Kenya has to offer. The North has some of the most diverse landscapes over a very short distance. What I get to see every day is something that I feel everyone coming through Kenya should see,” he said in the interview.

“Truly, it is some of the most mind-blowing landscapes that most people in Kenya don’t realise exist. A helicopter opens up the opportunity to see this."

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dmuchui@ke.nationmedia.com