The Aberdare National Park forms part of the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley, a natural divide in the land spanning the length of the country and slicing it into half.

This is an awesome and majestic Park reminiscent of fairytales with strange mutations of the alpine plants; groundsel, Erica, hypericum, labelia, sennecio, and where spectacular waterfalls are formed from icy rivers.

The Salient, rich in elephant, rhino, warthog, bush pig, waterbuck, duiker, dik-dik & bongo, is where the two treehotels, Treetops and the Ark are situated. Treetops is famous for the visit of Queen Elizabeth, who climbed up a princess and descended the next day as the Queen of England.

Lions are also found in the Salient, and tales are told of a spotted lion, which has never been seen. The leopard and serval cats have black coats, which can be explained by the high altitude and nearness to the Equator. The Park is inaccessible during the rains and even in the dry season, only 4WD vehicles are used. Mount Kenya, (5199m) Kenya's highest mountain, straddles the equator and everything above the 3200m contour forms a national park.

Although someone who is reasonably fit can access the mountain's lower peaks and glacier, the twin peaks of Batian & Nelion require rock-climbing skills.

The famous resort of the Mount Kenya Safari Club is located on the foothills of Mount Kenya and provides a welcome respite from the rigors of safari travel. Founded by William Holden and visited by many famous personalities over the years, the Club is set in 91 acres of manicured lawns, which include a golf course, and has become synonymous with luxury and style in a superb setting. Its grounds host the Mount Kenya Game Ranch with herds of bongo, rare albino zebra, oryx & gazelle, as well as the William Holden Wildlife Education Centre which promotes understanding of Kenya's unique legacy of wildlife