Treetops, The Ark, and a Different Kind of Safari
Aberdare doesn’t look or feel like any other Kenyan park. It’s a cool, mist covered mountain range on the eastern wall of the Rift Valley, thick forest, bamboo, high moorland and waterfalls instead of open plains. Three things make it worth the trip.
Night game viewing at a floodlit waterhole. Both Treetops Lodge and The Ark are built directly over a waterhole and salt lick. Wildlife visits through the night under floodlights, so you watch from the deck or your room instead of driving to find them.
Where a Princess became a Queen. In February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was staying at Treetops Lodge when she learned her father, King George VI, had died, making her Queen. The lodge has drawn visitors on the strength of that story ever since.
Black rhino and the mountain bongo. Aberdare shelters a growing population of black rhino under close protection, and is one of the only places on earth where the mountain bongo, a rare forest antelope, still survives in the wild.
Waterfalls and highland scenery. Karuru Falls, one of Kenya’s tallest, along with Gura and Chania Falls, cut through dense forest and open moorland, a landscape unlike any other park on this site.
Wildlife You’ll See at Aberdare
Aberdare’s wildlife is forest wildlife, harder to spot on a drive but often easier to see at night from a tree lodge deck.
- Elephants and buffalo, regular visitors to the floodlit waterholes at Treetops and The Ark
- Black rhino, present in growing numbers under tight protection
- The mountain bongo, one of Africa’s rarest antelope, elusive but present in the bamboo forest
- Leopard, including occasional sightings of the rare black leopard
- Black and white colobus monkey, along with Sykes and vervet monkeys
- Over 250 bird species, including the endangered Aberdare cisticola and Jackson’s spurfowl
Lion are present but rarely seen, this is a forest park, not open savanna, so don’t expect the same drive-by sightings you’d get in the Mara or Amboseli. The trade off is watching animals up close, at night, without moving from your seat.
The Landscape
Aberdare rises from thick rainforest into bamboo forest, then open moorland near the peaks, with Mount Satima, the range’s highest point, reaching almost 4,000 metres. Streams, ravines and waterfalls cut through the forest throughout the park.
How to Get to Aberdare National Park
Aberdare is one of the closest highland parks to Nairobi, making it an easy add on even for a short trip.
By road from Nairobi. About 2.5 to 3 hours, roughly 150 to 180 kilometres, via Nyeri or Naro Moru.
By air. Airstrips near the park headquarters at Nyeri and Mweiga, we can arrange charter flights on request.
Best Time to Visit Aberdare National Park
Aberdare is cool and often misty year round, given its altitude, so pack warmer clothing regardless of season.
June to October and January to February. The drier months, clearer roads and easier access for game drives to the lodges.
March to May and November to December. The rainy seasons, lusher scenery and fewer visitors, but expect mist, cooler temperatures and occasional muddy roads.