Aberdare National Park
Aberdare is a national park in Kenya, located near the Aberdare Range in the central part of the country. It was founded in 1950 on a territory of 766 km2, 160 km from Nairobi. There are many different landscapes in Aberdare, as there are large elevation differences from 2,100 meters to 4,300 meters.
Mount Kenya is visible from the western border of the park. The highest point in the park is Mount Ol Doinyo Lesatimachto (3999 meters), whose name translates from the Maasai language as "young bull mountain". The park is located on a volcanic fault, which is why the soil here has a reddish tinge. The Kikuyu people believe that the god Ngai lives in the Aberdare range.
The park is closely intertwined with history, because here the young Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen of Great Britain. She found out about it when she was sitting in a tree, so sometimes they say: "For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed a tree as a princess and descended from it as a queen." This tree was a hotel built in the branches of a huge ficus tree. Now the tree has burned down, and in its place a hotel has been built, copying the former hotel on the tree - the "Top of the tree".
Although Aberdare Park is located near the equator, the climate is more influenced by the local mountains. It's a little cooler here, and the morning fog makes the park area fabulously beautiful. The rainy season takes place here in March - May and October -December. Aberdare is a kind of catchment area for the rivers of the Northern and Central basins. The park also has the wonderful waterfalls Keruru Kahuru and Gura, 270 and 240 meters high, respectively, on the south side of the park and Chania Falls in the center of the park.
The wildlife of the park can be seen during safaris or from viewing platforms built near watering holes or feeding grounds for animals. The main representatives of the fauna are: leopard, lion, many species of monkeys, elephant, wild boar, serval. In addition to them, there are over 250 species of birds, many of which are very rare or live only in Aberdare Park, including Aberdare cistocols, eagles, Jackson's francolins, African grouse, nectarines, spade hawks and plovers.
Guests of the park can stay in 2 hotels - one in the form of a wooden house, the other is built in the likeness of Noah's Ark. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can get to the park from the nearby cities of Nakuru and Naivasha. Activities in the park include safari, camping, fishing, animal watching, mountaineering, and walking.
