Aberdare National Park
 |
| The lush rain forest of Aberdare National Park. |
The Aberdare National Park is part of the Aberdare Mountains which are part of the Central Highlands of Kenya – home to Ngai (God) according to traditional Kikuyu folklore. The Aberdare Rainforest feeds the entire local and Nairobi water supply from its vital catchment area.
- ALTITUDE: 7,000 – 14,000 FT
- AREA: 767 SQ. KMS.
- DISTANCE FROM NAIROBI: 180 KMS
- OPENED: MAY 1950
- DIVERSE ECO-SYSTEMS
- RAINFORESTS & WATERFALLSQUEEN ELIZABETH LEARNED OF HER ACCESSION TO THE THRONE HERE
It’s swampy glades, water holes, salt licks and forest provide a haven for game such as leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo, Red Duiker, Suni, Bushbuck and Giant Forest Hog, not forgetting Kenya’s indigenous and endangered Black Rhino. Rare sightings have been made of the Golden cat, and Black and White Colobus and Sykes monkeys are abundant.
The slopes of the Mountains are covered with heavy forest with tree ferns in places giving way to deep valleys with streams and rivers cascading over spectacular waterfalls. Above the forest there is a belt of bamboo, where the rare and elusive Bongo, a large forest antelope, dwells. The moorlands start at 10,000ft, and are home to various species including eland, spotted and melanistic serval cats. The moorlands are ideal for walking, picnics and trout fishing in the rivers and plant lovers enjoy seeing the giant alpine varieties of lobelia, groundsel and heather.
The entire forest is being fenced through fund-raising events such as The Rhino Charge, an off-road event that takes place every year, to protect settlement farmers from animal raids and to create a rhino and forest sanctuary.
Lodges in the Aberdares are Treetops and The Ark, although The Specialised Safari Company camps in the parks private camp sites.
