Aberdare National Park

Information

This 296 mi² (767-km²) park is a remarkable place of ecological contrasts. The Aberdare Mountain Range runs between two, lower-elevated plateaus. To the west, the Aberdares steeply slopes down to the Kinangop Plateau. This provides views of dramatic, forested ravines and the Great Rift Valley. To the east, the Aberdares more gradually slopes downward to open, undulating moorlands dotted with tussock grasses and giant heather.Further east lie the forested hills and valleys of the Salient.

These two parts of the park provide stunning views of Mount Kenya (17,058 ft/5,199 m), Africa’s second highest mountain. Like nearby Mt. Kilimanjaro, it contains several permanent glaciers, despite their proximity to the equator. Treks are available for both hikers and experienced rock climbers. Ascents are best attempted during the dry seasons.

Aberdare National Park offers a wide array of game-viewing and bird-watching opportunities. Visitors can see Black rhino, lion, hyena, buffalo, elephant, eland, reedbuck, suni, bushpig and bongo. Within the Salient, you can also spot leopard, buffalo, waterbuck, bushbuck, giant forest hog, and black-and-white colobus monkey. The moorlands and montane forest portions of the park offer the best bird-watching, including several regionally endemic species. Notable examples of the nearly 300 recorded bird species include Jackson’s and Moorland francolins, Aberdare cisticola, Cape eagle owl, various eagles, goshawks and buzzards, sparry hawk, plovers, and several species of dazzling sunbirds.