Tours in Aberdare National Park

Almost everything. This is montane forest, bamboo and high moorland rather than savanna, with altitudes reaching 4,001 metres and a cold, wet climate throughout the year. Game viewing happens largely at floodlit waterholes from tree lodges at night rather than from vehicles by day. Species like bongo, giant forest hog and melanistic leopard occur here and almost nowhere else in Kenya. Tree lodges usually require you to leave your vehicle at a base hotel and transfer up with their own transport.

You arrive in the afternoon, and the lodge is built on stilts overlooking a floodlit waterhole and salt lick. Game comes and goes through the night, and guests watch from viewing decks and lounges, often in shifts, with a buzzer system to wake those who have gone to bed for notable arrivals. Elephant, buffalo, rhino and giant forest hog are the usual visitors. It is unhurried and quite unlike a game drive.

Almost certainly not, and it is important to set that expectation. The mountain bongo is critically endangered, with a wild population numbering in the low hundreds, and it is intensely shy in dense forest. Occasional sightings occur at waterholes at night, which is the realistic chance. Come for the forest, the moorland and the tree lodge experience, and treat a bongo as an extraordinary piece of luck. Weather closes in quickly on the high ground, so start any moorland trip early and be ready to turn back.

Considerably colder than visitors expect for equatorial Kenya. The park spans 1,800 to 4,001 metres, with forest-level nights falling to 5°C to 10°C and the moorland above the treeline regularly dropping below freezing. Tree lodge viewing areas are unheated and you sit still for hours. Warm layers, a hat and waterproofs are essential rather than advisable, whatever the month you visit. The park pairs naturally with Mount Kenya and Lake Nakuru on a central Kenya circuit.

The park lies about 160 kilometres north of Nairobi, roughly three hours by road via Nyeri or Naro Moru, and the drive climbs steadily through farmland onto the range. Most visitors come as part of a central Kenya circuit taking in Mount Kenya and Lake Nakuru. Tree lodges usually require you to leave your vehicle at a base hotel and transfer up by their own transport. Tree lodges usually require you to leave your vehicle at a base hotel and transfer up with their own transport.

Princess Elizabeth was staying at Treetops Lodge in the Aberdares in February 1952 when her father George VI died, meaning she went up the tree a princess and came down a queen, as the phrase has it. The original lodge was later burned during the Mau Mau uprising and rebuilt on the opposite side of the waterhole. The story remains part of the park's identity. Weather closes in quickly on the high ground, so start any moorland trip early and be ready to turn back.

June to September and January to February are the drier windows and the best times, with better chances of clear moorland views and firmer tracks. March to May and October to December bring the rains, when moorland tracks become difficult and often close, though the waterfalls are at their most spectacular. Tree lodge stays work year-round since the waterholes are floodlit. The park pairs naturally with Mount Kenya and Lake Nakuru on a central Kenya circuit.

Yes, with restrictions and a ranger. The moorland offers genuine hiking, including the climb to Ol Donyo Lesatima at 4,001 metres, and shorter walks reach the Karuru and Chania falls. Buffalo and elephant are present throughout, so an armed ranger is required. Weather closes in quickly on the high ground, so start early and be prepared to turn back. Tree lodges usually require you to leave your vehicle at a base hotel and transfer up with their own transport.