Aberdare National Park
Aberdare National Park is located approximately 250 km north of Nairobi and spans a wide variety of terrain at altitudes between 2,000 and 4,000 metres. Established in May 1950, this national park covers an area of766 km2 and is part of the Aberdare mountain range.
The park encompasses a wide range of landscapes, ranging from mountain peaks to deep V-shaped valleys cut by streams, rivers and waterfalls. Moors, bamboo forests, and tropical forests are found at lower elevations.
This environment, with its streams, is a vital space that is home to a wide range of wild animals. One can find elephants, buffaloes, black rhinos, leopards, baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, syke monkeys, and, more rarely, golden cats, bongos – an elusive antelope that lives in the bamboo forest – moose, and the mythical black serval.
Bird watching is also very good – with over 250 species of birds in the park, including Jackson’s Francolins, Nectariniidae and Plovers. Birds of prey are of particular interest due to the presence of African wood pigeons, Ayres hawks, red-breasted hawks, and mountain hawks.
The Aberdare National Park is a very beautiful environment for hiking with a ranger-guide to observe wild animals without the constraints of a vehicle, or to take game drives, observe birds, or to fish in authorized areas.
