Aberdare National Park

Aberdare national park is one situated within the Aberdare mountain ranges of Kenya, the park welcomes visitors with spectacular views of the moorland, splendid water falls and forested ravines with a cooler friendly environment compared too many other national parks. Aberdare also boasts with the big five and rare forest animals accompanied with superb wildlife viewing despite its size.

Aberdare national park also gives a rich history of one of the world’s icons it is the place where Queen Elizabeth of England found out she was queen after the death of her father king George V1. The park was established in 1950 with an aim of protecting the Aberdare mountain ranges, the park covers an area of about 766 kilometers squared located 100 kilometers north of the country capital Nairobi.

Aberdare national park is very rainy and always Misty throughout the year, the elevations range from 6000 feet to 13126 above sea level, it’s one of the most beautiful parks with a scenic topography. The park derived its name from nyandaura or Aberdare the mountain ranges forming the eastern wall of the rift valley.

Activities at Aberdare national park

There are a number of tourists activities to be done at Aberdare national park some of which can be seen below;

Game viewing

Aberdare national park has got the big five that is lion, buffalo, elephant, rhino and leopard. Viewing this game on the dense Vegetation​ covers is a must, the other animals are, hyenas, warthogs, bushbucks, a rare species of a shy antelope known as bongo, golden cat, giant forest hog, colobus monkeys, vervet monkey, olive baboon, blue duiker and African wild cat to mention a few. The Eastern sector of The Park is the best place to do game viewing.

Birding

Aberdare park is gifted with over 250 species of birds such as Sharpe’s Lon claw, Aberdare cisticola, Jackson widow bird, Abbot’s starling, red tufted sunbird, idis stork, crowned eagle,long tailed cuckoo, red chested owlet among the rest.

Hiking

Tourists at Aberdare national park can hike to the mountain tops and. One across elegant waterfalls and have the most striking views from the table mountains, twin or elephant hills.

Fishing

Tourists can also engage in fishing and do this from Chania and guru karuru river, this will complement your safari with a wilderness experience.

Horse back safari

The horse back safaris are mainly provided by the Aberdare country club to give you a more romantic wilderness experience and a better way to view lesser mammals.

Nature guided walks

The nature guided walks will expose tourists to mostly the Flora, insects and animals like white and black colobus monkey, vervet monkey, olive baboon and many more.

The Aberdare national park can be visited all year round but the bet time is in the dry season as roads might not be passable during the rainy seasons and wildlife viewing isn’t as good as when it’s dry. The months of July to October would be suitable.

Tourists to Aberdare national park can easily access it by road or air transport.

By air

There are two airstrips at Nyeri and Mweiga within the parks headquarters this operate daily with domestic aircrafts.

By road

Tourists can access the park from Naivasha or Nairobi, there are several gates located n the park and where you are traveling from will determine your entrance, the gate of mutubio can be used from Naivasha, from Nyeri and nyahururu use rhino and shamata gates.

Some of the good places where to sleep while at the park are the famous tree top lodge, ark lodge and Aberdare club among others.

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