>> Parks List >> Aberdares

THE ABERDARE RANGES

Altitude: 2500-4000 ft.
Area: 104 sq. kms.
Distance from Nairobi: 343 kms.

The Aberdare National Park is part of the Aberdare Mountain Range. Deep valleys, streams and rivers as well as cascading waterfalls feature in this region. Game viewing includes elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog and Kenya's indigenous and endangered Black Rhino.

The Aberdare Country Club nestles on the slopes of Mweiga Hill with a superb view of the plains below, with the Aberdare range of mountains to the west and Mount Kenya to the east. Along with game viewing in the 1300 acre surrounding sanctuary, the club also offers activities such as golfing, horse riding and nature walks.

Lies in the Aberdare Mountain ranges, 10km from Nyeri town, the burial place of the Boy Scout movement's founder Lord Baden-Powell. The vegetation here is mountain rain forest, moorlands and thick bamboo forest and sub alpine plants. The park has numerous streams and rivers that cascade into beautiful waterfalls. Wildlife compromise of the buffalo, rhino, elephant, lion, serval cat, leopard, eland, giant forest hog, red duiker, bushbuck, colobus and sykes monkey.

Basic Facts

Size: 766 sq kms
Province: Central
District: Nyeri and Murang'a
Geographical Location: Central highlands, west of Mount Kenya.
Altitude: 1,829-3,994m
Vegetation: Rich alpine and sub-alpine flora giving way at lower altitudes to bamboo forests and montane forests.
Fauna: Mammals of the forest zone include blue monkey, colobus, leopard, elephant, warthog black rhino, giant forest hog, bushbuck, buffalo, red duiker, and sum. The open moorlands have serval eland, several species of duiker, and the rare bongo.
Bird Life: More than 200 recorded species.
Special Features: Trout can be caught in the moorland streams.
Visitor Facilities: Two lodges, two self-help-fishing lodges, and five campsites.

Details

The Aberdares is the established name of a mountain range which thrusts directly north from Nairobi for more than 160 kms. The range was named after then President of the Royal Geographical Society by the intrepid Scot, Joseph Thomson, who explored the region in 1883. The Kikuyu name Nyandarua is slowly gaining prominence.
The Aberdare National Park encompasses all land over 3200m together with a projection due east, known as the Salient, which reaches down to 2130m near Nyeri town. The park is a fairyland, awesome in its majesty and beauty. But crossing these mountains is an unpredictable event since rain is both frequent and heavy. The highest point of the range is Ol Doinyo Satima (the mountain of the young bull in Maa language of the Masaai), which reaches 3998m. At an elevation of about 3350m along the Naivasha to Nyeri road, strange six metre tall mutants of alpine plants - groundsel, erica, hypericum, lobelia and sennecio - grow in profusion. Icy rivers plunge in glorious cascades and spectacular waterfalls.
The salient which thrusts a dense forest through rich farmland is where both Tree Tops and the Ark are situated. The salient's origin lies in an elephant migration route between the two mountains, now sadly no longer. But the forest is rich in wildlife; elephant and rhino, warthog, bush pig and giant forest hog, waterbuck, duiker, suni, dikdik, bongo and reebuck are all to be seen. In the canopy the black and white colobus monkey performs its arial acrobatics and Sykes' monkey and black faced vervet can also be found.

The carnivores are represented by lion, usually more hairy and spotted than on the plains, leopard and serval, the latter often seen on the moorlands and sometimes in its melanistic state.
Birds are not only plentiful, but dazzling. The crowned eagle (which eats monkeys) is everywhere and the forest echoes to the shrill cries of the silvery-cheeked hornbill. The resplendent sunbirds are well represented, among them the brilliant metallic violet Tacazze, the emerald green Malachite Sunbird and on the moorlands the Scarlet tufted Malachite Sunbird, with its very long slender tail.

The number of visitors to Aberdare National Park is high, mainly due to the popularity of Tree Tops and the Ark. The park itself is still very much under-visited despite its grandeur and its powerful vistas.

Transport

There is a road which traverses the Aberdare mountains and the National Park from Naivasha to Nyeri which can be handled by a sturdy vehicle in good weather. To get to Aberdare National Park from Nairobi, take the A104 north to Naivasha, and branch off on the road to Nyeri.

There are six public gates into the park, and two private ones serving Treetops and the Ark. You cannot reach these lodges in your own vehicle.

From Nyeri, the Salient can be approached via Ruhuruini Gate or Wandaris Gate, and Chaina Falls area via Kiandongoro Gate. The park can be approached from the Nyeri-Nyahururu road in the north via Shamata Gate or Rhino Gate, or from Naivasha or Gilgil in the west via Mutubio Gate. The steepest section of this route, formerly impassible in the rains, is now tarred.
Nyeri is served by numerous buses from Nairobi, but no public transport runs to any of the gates. Hitching into the park is very difficult. To walk into the park you must be part of a group and pre-arrange the trip with the Park Warden, Aberdare National Park, P.O. Box 22, Nyeri. You will be assigned a guard.

Camping

Camping in the Aberdare National Park has been severely restricted since some campers were attacked by aggresive lions in the early 1980s. Rumours abound concerning these man-eaters, but it seems that the release of some semi-tame lions used in a film were the cause of the problem. It is uncertain whether the campers were attacked by these beasts, hungry and unafraid of humans, or by the other lions reacting against encroachments on their territory, but the attacks resulted in the closure of most campsites outside the Salient and limitations for walkers on the high moorlands.
The Public Campsites at Chania Falls and at Queens Banda, which were closed through the early 1990s are reportedly reopened. For bookings and to arrange walking tours, write to the Warden, Aberdare National Park, P.O. Box 22, Nyeri.

Reedbuck Campsites, a relatively new site near the Self Help Fishing Lodge and the only site in the high moorland, offers firewood, toilets, water and wet weather shelter. There is no food here, so bring all of your provisions.

In the Salient area, there are eight Special Campsites which vary in remoteness and facilities. Two are at Kiguri, five at Muringato and one at Prince Charles.

Lodging

Lodging immediately in or near the National Park include the Aberdare Country Club, 98 beds, The Ark with 118 beds, and Treetops, 94 beds. In nearbly Sweetwaters Game Reserve is the Sweetwaters Tented Camp. For lodging in nearby towns, try the Outspan Hotel in Nyeri, 74 beds, or in Naivasha, the Lake Naivasha Club with 102 beds.

THE ARK, TREETOPS, & MOUNTAIN LODGE:

This overnight tour offers the unique and exciting experience of observing animals at night. You stay in a night game viewing lodge raised above ground and overlooking a waterhole and salt lick. Spotlights illuminate the area and you are often able to observe large wild animals such as elephant, buffalo and rhino from close quarters. There are a choice of three night game viewing lodges in the Mt. Kenya Aberdares area: The Ark, Treetops and Mountain Lodge.

Treetops:

Situated in the Aberdare National Park, this is the original tree lodge, legendary for its historical royal connection. The lodge rises straight out of the ground on stilts. It has four decks and a rooftop viewing platform. The 50 twin bedded rooms are small and neat and cosy like cabins on board a ship. The emphasis is on making as little noise as possible so as not to scare away the animals at the water hole. There is an optional buzzer in your room to alert you if something interesting shows up at the water hole. Children under 7 years are not accepted at this lodge.

The Ark:

The Ark is set in thick woodland, at the heart of the Aberdare National Park. It is designed with numerous viewing decks, balconies and lounges that allow you to watch animals visiting the waterhole and salt lick. A ground level viewing area provides excellent photographic opportunities and floodlit waterhole allows all-night game viewing. A buzzer system also operates in each room to alert guests when new animals are sighted. The Ark has 60 ‘cabin-styled’ rooms. All rooms have private bathrooms with shower, and are comfortably furnished and enjoy a view of the forest or waterhole. Children under 7 years are not accepted at this lodge.

Outspan Lodge:

Outspan in Nyeri is a gracious, comfortable hotel set in a well-tended tropical gardens with rolling lawns. The hotel is a reception point for visitors to the treetops and there is plenty to see and do including a river and bird walks.

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