Aberdare National Park
What's so special about Aberdare Park?
- Majestically beautiful landscapes, ranging from high-forested peaks, to deep v-shaped valleys intersected by streams & rivers, and moorlands, bamboo forests and rainforest.
- The 'treehotels' where accommodation is raised into the forest canopy - this enables you to view the game below from a unique vantage point.
- All night game viewing from the comfort of your treehotel viewing deck
- Getting seriously close to the animals, in the safety of the game viewing hides at the treehotels.
- Close proximity to the capital city, Nairobi
- This is where you can catch a glimpse of the rare & elusive Bongo, and the Golden Cat, in the wild.
- Mutants of alpine plants such as groundsel, erica, hypericum, lobelia and sernecio growing upto 6 meters tall.
- Torrential waterfalls, plunging from cloudy heights to spray-filled ravines.
- Icy cold mountain streams, teeming with trout
- The second largest population of black rhinos.
- Queen Elizabeth of England, learned of her ascension to the throne while she was staying at Treetops.
FAST FACTS
Altitude
2133 - 4267 m above sea level
Area
767 sq km
Location
Central Highlands, west of Mt Kenya, Nyeri District, Central Province
Distance from Nairobi
180 kms
Climate
Cool & cloudy with pleasant daytime temperatures all year round. Cooler nights with temperatures dropping even further during the dry winter months (July to October). Mist and rain occur throughout the year, with precipitation varying from 1000 mm annually on the NW slopes, to 3000 mm annually in the SE. Heavy rainfall through much of the year.
Vegetation
Rich alpine and sub alpine flora giving way to bamboo and montane woodlands.
Wildlife
Lion, leopard, rhino, warthog, bushbuck, buffalo, baboons, black & white Colobus monkeys, Giant Forest Hog, Red duiker, elephant, Sykes monkey, Golden Cat, Bongo, eland, spotted & melanistic serval cats, black-faced vervet monkeys, and hyenas.
Birdlife
Over 250 species including Jackson's Francolin, sperry hawk, goshawk, crowned eagle, plover, sunbirds including Malachite sunbird & Tacazze, and Silvery cheeked Hornbill.
Roads
Roads and tracks are usually navigable by 2WD vehicles.
Accessibility
Accessible by road with 2WD vehicle from Nairobi and most game parks and reserves. Accessible by air from all over the country, on charter flights to Nyeri airstrip. In the park itself, 4WD vehicle is required but most of the current road network is not accessible during the wet season.
What can I do there?
- All day and night game viewing from the treehotels
- Trout fishing in ice cold rivers and streams
Where can I stay?
Best time to visit
May - October