Aberdares National Park
Location: Kenya Central Province NearestTown Nyeri
Coordinates: 0°22′48″S 36°41′57″E / -0.38, 36.69917 Area: 766 km²
Established:1950
Governing body: Kenya Wildlife Service
Activities: Night game viewing from Ark or Treetops, Game Drives, Trout fishing, visit to the Kimathi hideout used by the legendary Mau Mau General.
Airstrips: Mweiga Airstrip, next to the park headquarters or Nyeri Airstrip which is 12 km from Mweiga headquarters.
Climate: Mist and rain occur throughout much of the year, with precipitation varying from around 1000mm yearly on the north western slopes to as much as 3000mm in the south east. Heavy rainfall occurs through most of the year.
The Aberdares are an isolated volcanic range that forms the eastern wall of the great rift valley, running roughly 100km north south between Nairobi and Thomsons Falls.The Aberdare National Park is got it's name from Lord Aberdare, one of the founder members of the Royal Geographical Society. It is a fascinating region of Kenya and according to Kikuyu folklore they are one of the homes of Ngai (God). Soils are red and of volcanic origin, but rich in organic matter. There are two main peaks, Ol Donyo Lesatima (3,999m) and Kinangop (3,906m) separated by a long saddle of alpine moorland at over 3,000m. The topography is diverse with deep ravines that cut through the forested eastern and western slopes and there are many clear streams and waterfalls. The Aberdares are an important water catchment area providing water to the Tana and Athi rivers and part of Central Rift and Northern drainage basins.The forest is the water source for the entire local area and Nairobi.
The National Park lies mainly above the tree line running along the 10,000ft contour with some forest and scrub at lower altitude in the 'salient' area near Nyeri with the boundary running down to the 7000ft contour
The unusual vegetation, rugged terrain, streams and waterfalls combine to create an area of great scenic beauty in the National Park. The park is surrounded by a predominantly indigenous forest.
Animals easily observed include the lion, leopard, baboon, black and white Colobus monkey, and sykes monkey. Rarer sightings include those of the golden cat and the bongo - an elusive forest antelope that lives in the bamboo forest. Animals like the eland and spotted and melanistic serval cats can be found higher up in the moorlands. The Aberdare National Park also contains a large population of the black rhino. Visitors can also indulge in walking, picnics, trout fishing in the rivers and camping in the moorlands. Even the bird viewing is rewarding, with over 250 species of birds in the park, including the Jackson's Francolin, sparry hawk, goshawks, eagles, sunbirds and plovers.
Visitors to the park can find different types of accommodation according to their taste, ranging from the Treetops tree-house lodge, to the Ark - built in the shape of Noah's Ark - and three self-help banda sites, eight special campsites and a public campsite in the moorland. There are also five picnic sites. Both Treetops and Ark provide excellent nighttime wildlife viewing. From here, visitors can observe various animals, such as elephant, buffalo, lion and rhino, which get attracted to the waterholes.