Aberdare National Park is Fit for Royalty

Aberdare National Park is one of the most thrilling Kenya national parks. With an incredibly wide range of activities, the Aberdare vacationer is bound to be spoilt for choice. This is probably the reason UK's Princess Elizabeth was on an Aberdare safari when she ascended to the throne.

Activities

Aberdare offers a raft of activities paralleled by few other wildlife parks. These include:

• Trekking and hiking. Some of Kenya's finest trekking and hiking trails crisscross the Aberdare's lower slopes and moorland.

• Mountain biking. Given its high altitudes, Aberdare is a great place to hone your mountain biking skills while taking in the awesome sights of Kenya wildlife as well as the breathtaking landscapes.

• Sightseeing. If you are yearning for a generous doze of green, the Aberdare is right up your alley as it is heavily forested.

  Your Aberdare safari is, in addition, likely to be dominated by views of spectacular waterfalls cascading down several cliffs, the Great Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha and the Mau escarpment on the horizon.

• Fly Fishing. The park's ice-cold crystal clear streams offer anglers the opportunity to catch some exotic species of brown and rainbow trout.

• Wildlife sighting. The marvel of Aberdare's abundant wildlife is evident in the large herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra, giant forest hog, the stunning bongo and elusive leopard.

• Bird spotting. As home to upwards of 250 bird species, the park upholds Kenya's reputation as an ornithologist's paradise. Crowned eagles, hornbills and buzzards either dramatically swoop through the forest or soar above.

Aberdare Mountain Ranges

The Aberdare is a 160 km (100 mile) long mountain range located north of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and just south of the Equator. The entire Aberdare mountain range above 3,050 (10,000ft) is enclosed in the park.

At 4,001 meters (13,120 feet), Oldoinyo la Satima is the mountain range's highest peak, followed by the Kinangop and Kipipiri peaks. While these pale when compared to Batian, Mount Kenya's highest peak which stands 5,199m (7,057 ft) tall, they still all make for a worthy climb.

Vegetation

As is the case with the other mountains in Kenya, Aberdare's vegetation consists of bamboo forest and some brightly colored aloes at the base.

Higher up, mountainous rainforest draped in Spanish moss stand guard. Moorland dominates the highest reaches and is inhabited by the literal giant heather and countless tufts of tussock grass.

Streams

Several streams crisscross the Aberdare National Park. The Karura, Chania and Guru streams not only act as waterholes for the park's considerable wildlife population, they are all teeming with trout and provide excellent opportunities for fly-fishing.

Each of these, in addition, plunges several hundred meters off a cliff, creating some spectacular waterfalls as they do so.

Wildlife

With so much scenic beauty, it is natural to expect Aberdare to disappoint in the wildlife department. In fact, it doesn't...

Buffaloes proliferate and dominate the grasslands. African elephants, bushbucks, warthogs, waterbucks and duikers can also be sighted without too much effort.

However, Aberdare National Park is particularly well-endowed with leopards, black rhinos, bongos and giant forest hogs. The park is definitely one of the best places to see leopards in Kenya - probably second only to Samburu National Reserve.

The park is also inhabited by several dozen black rhinos, one of the biggest populations of the gravely endangered mammal in the country.

And, the park offers the best opportunities to see the bongo, that rare, gorgeous forest antelope and the giant forest hog, a big bristly odd-looking pig with big tusks.

Aberdare National Park is also inhabited by unbelievably large populations of genets and servals.

Birdlife

Owing to Aberdare's diverse habitats, the park boasts a profuse birdlife. Well over 250 bird species have been catalogued in the park. These range from francolins, plovers and kingfishers to ibis, robins, sunbirds and even geese.

Aberdare Accommodations

The most articulate writing doesn't even begin to do justice to Aberdare's stunning wilderness. But there are a couple of Aberdare National Park hotels where one can stay to savor the wonders of the park firsthand.

Treetops and the Ark, which are located on the lower slopes of the Aberdare mountain ranges, are 2 popular hotels.

Treetops was thrust into the international limelight in 1952 as it was while vacationing here that UK's then Princess Elizabeth became Queen upon the sudden death of her father. Treetops is built on stilts and although the facilities are shared, this is somewhat compensated for by the magnificent wildlife viewing platform.

The newer Ark has en suite rooms and is located near waterholes and a saltlick that attract animals every night.

There are a couple of accommodation options higher up too although these tend to be more basic. These are Fishing Camp, Sapper Hut and Tusk Camp which can all be booked through the Kenya Wildlife Service.

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