FACT FILE
* Altitude: 7,000 - 10,000 ft
* Area: 766 km2
* Distance from Nairobi: 180 km
* Airstrips: 2
* Opened: May 1950
HIGHLIGHTS
* Shy and rare Bongo Antelope, leopard, elephant
* Second largest population of indigenous Black Rhino
* Diverse eco-system - rainforest, waterfalls, table mountains
* Night game viewing at the Ark & Treetops Lodges
* Kimathi Hideout - used by legendary Mau-Mau General
* Trout fishing, Moorland walks
LOGDES & CAMPS: Serena Mountain Lodge, The Ark
The Aberdare National Park is part of the Aberdare Mountain Range, as described by Joseph Thomson in 1883 during his journey through the Masai Land. It is a most fascinating region of Kenya. Kikuyu people still use the range's traditional name, Nyandarua; according to traditional Kikuyu folklore they are one of the homes of Ngai (God).
From 1947 to 1956, the misty and rainy forests in the range served as a hide for the Mau-Mau guerrilla. The park was gazetted in 1950 with an extension of 584 km˛, but was afterwards enlarged to 770 km˛, making it the third largest park in the country.
LANDSCAPE
The park is the highest in all Africa. Mountain ranges and peaks soar, giving way to deep V-shaped foggy rain forest valleys with streams and rivers cascading over spectacular waterfalls, which confers the park a fairyland atmosphere - this area is a must for landscape lovers.
From its vital catchment area the Aberdare Rainforest feeds the entire local and Nairobi water supply. Above the forest is a belt of bamboo, which, at 10,000 ft gives way to moorland, home to the eland, spotted and melanistic serval cats. Other features are the giant varieties of lobelia, groundsel and heather. Ideal for walking, picnics, camping and trout fishing in the rivers, the moorlands are reminiscent of the European Highlands.
GAME & BIRDS
Game viewing is very rewarding: lion, leopard, baboon, Black and White Colobus and Sykes monkeys are abundant. Rare sightings have also been made of the Golden Cat. The bamboo belt is a favourite haunt of the Bongo, a rare and elusive forest antelope.
The entire forest is being fenced to protect settlement farmers from animal raids and to create a rhino and forest sanctuary. Bird viewing is incredible with over 250 species recorded, including Jackson's Francolin, sparrow hawk, African goshawk, eagles, sunbirds and plovers.
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