Aberdare National Park
The Aberdare National Park is renowned for its beautiful rainforest scenery and rugged mountain landscape. This is a mysterious stretch of land, home to many rare and wonderful creatures. Overlooking a beautiful, watery oasis in the midst of forest and vast moorland, sits the Treetops lodge - a place where you can relax while watching the diverse wildlife gather at the waterhole. Travel here for a very different and unique safari experience as you immerse yourself in the misty rainforests and jagged mountains.
-
Best Time to Go
June - September
-
Average Safari Cost
$100 - $600 pp/day. Park fee: $52 (adults), $26 (children)
-
Highlights
Lodges that overlook a waterhole, rare animal species to see, the Big Five, stunning forest scenery, hiking, game drives, picnic spots and trout fishing.
Why Visit Aberdare National Park
Aberdare National Park is a very special and unique place as it boasts many exciting and rare animals to see within its diverse landscape. The rainforest and mountainous highland terrain provides an incredible contrast to Kenya's grasslands and savannah plains. Travel through lush, green forests, see powerful waterfalls and hike up some challenging rugged trails on the Aberdare mountain range.
The lodges and hotels are designed so that guests can overlook the waterhole at night and watch as many different animals emerge from the forest. This guarantees visitors some unique and exciting wildlife sightings. Aberdare National Park is a place where you can find the unusual bongo antelope in the bamboo forest, as well as the elusive African golden cat. Rare black leopards have also been sighted by extremely lucky visitors. These are just a few of the amazing animals you might find in this beautiful, unspoiled land! Visit Kenya's Aberdare National Park for a very different, yet highly rewarding, safari experience.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Great wildlife sightings
- Stunning forest scenery
- Unique tree hotels
- Opportunities to see nocturnal wildlife
- Guided hikes
Cons
- The tree hotels get very crowded and booked up
- The tree hotels are also quite basic and small
Best Time to Go
While the wildlife viewing in Aberdare National Park is quite good all year round, the best time to go is during the dry season, when rainfall is less disruptive. The dry season is from June to September and consists of cool, sunny days and very cold nights. Daytime temperatures average 59˚F (15˚C), while nights hover just above freezing. This is the best time for hiking and travelling around the moorlands of the park as roads and trails are less slippery. More animals tend to gather at the waterholes during these months.
The wet season is from October to May and consists of the 'short rains' from October to November, a dry period and then the 'long rains' from March to May. Daytime temperatures average a cool 63˚F (17˚C) with nights dropping to about 41˚F (5˚C). Rainfall can make it difficult to travel around the park as roads become very slippery. Game drives and hikes may also be disrupted due to rain. This is an excellent time for bird watching as migratory species can be found. This is also the low season, so accommodation rates may be lower and it will be less crowded in the park.
Start your African Adventure
Popular Tours
One-Week Tembo Escape
Our Deluxe One-Week Tembo Safari offers accommodations at deluxe tented camps and lodges and grants the opportunity to learn and discover Tanzania’s most popular northern parks, such as Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and the boundless Serengeti Plains.
Great Kenya Highlights – Masai Mara, Nakuru, Amboseli - Book NOW, save 10%
Visiting during the prime “peak” season when the great wildebeest migration will be happening between masai mara and Serengeti make this the best itinerary to consider. You will have the first-hand experience as you witness them cross the mara river with crocodiles waiting in the river as well as lions in the savannah. A visit to the Great Rift valley will give you a chance to see the volcanic activities and hot springs during your visit to Lake Bogoria, Hell’s gate national parks as well as thousands of flamingos at Lake Nakuru National Park. At lake Nakuru you will have will see many rhinos at the same place thus completing your chance of seeing all the big 5 namely Elephant, Leopard, Lion, Buffalo and Rhino. The climax of this safari will be 2 nights at Amboseli where you will be able to see the famous Mt. Kilimanjaro just on the slopes; in fact though Kilimanjaro is on the Tanzanian side, it is easy to see very well from Amboseli.
2 Days Saadani National Park by road
Saadani National Park lies in the center of the historical triangle of Bagamoyo - Pangani - Zanzibar, and is one of the least known of all Tanzania's National Parks. We can plan a variety of safari options: game drives, walking safaris, birdwatching - each of them giving a different perspective on this unique area. A game drive in Saadani is a special experience: see game without twenty other vehicles spoiling the view! The landscape is varied, from grassland and rolling hills, which are the habitats of lion and elephant, to the acacia plains and mangrove forests.
Safari In World's Greatest Destinations
Tanzania is one of the world's greatest safari destinations. It's game viewing experiences is widely regarded as the best in Africa Ngorongoro’s caldera shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven on earth. The rich pasture and permanent water of the Crater floor supports a resident population of some 20,000 to 25,000 large mammals. They are not confined by the Crater walls, and can leave freely; they stay because conditions are favorable. Since most of the Crater floor is grassland, grazing animals predominate: gnu, zebra, gazelles, buffalo, eland, hartebees and warthogs. The swamp and forest provide additional resources for hippos, some of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhinos, giant-tusked elephants, waterbucks, reedbucks and bushbucks, baboons and vervets. The steep inner slopes provide a habitat for dikdiks and the rare mountain reedbuck. Towering euphorbias cling to the crater walls and on the floor, Fever tree and Fig tree forests give shade to an awe-inspiring array of creatures. All these animals in turn support large predators such as Lion and Leopard, and scavengers such as Hyena and Jackals. For the best viewing and photography, approach the animals slowly and quietly and stay on the official tracks
Wildlife and Birds
- Lion
- Elephant
- Leopard
- Buffalo
- Hyena
- Black Rhino
Rare Animals
- Black rhino, lion, leopard, bongo antelope, African golden cat, serval, civet and African wild cat
Frequently Seen Animals
- Elephant, buffalo, hyena
With over 290 recorded species of bird, Aberdare National Park is a great birding destination. From bright, beautiful sunbirds flitting around the lush vegetation to majestic goshawks and eagles circling the skies, there are many interesting birds to keep a look out for!
Endangered Birds
- Aberdare cisticola
(Near-)Endemic Birds
- Aberdare cisticola, Jackson's francolin, Sharpe's longclaw
Getting There and Safety
For the flights to Kenya, it is advised to check Skyscanner (for multiple destination flights), to see which airlines can take you there and compare various ticket prices.
If you are based in the UK and Europe, check out these flights to Kenya.
If you are based in the USA and Canada, check out these flights to Kenya.
Several vaccinations are recommended when travelling to Kenya. These include: hepatitis A and B, rabies, meningococcal meningitis, typhoid and yellow fever. It’s better to check with your local medical authority which vaccinations are required.
There is a high-risk for malaria in Kenya so anti-malarial drugs are advised as well as insect repellent and wearing clothes that cover your arms and legs at night.
Check your local travel health authority for more information:
Going on a safari in Africa comes with obvious risks. We recommend you get travel insurance for all safaris in Kenya. Make sure your insurance has full medical coverage, emergency air evacuation, repatriation and the standard travel insurance for cancellations, delays and luggage cover.
Check World Nomads’ travel insurance calculator to see the cost of your safari trip cover.
You will need to pack clothes for both warm and cool weather as it can get fairly warm during the day and cold at night. Try to pack neutral, earthy toned clothes and avoid bright colours. Other essential items are a hat, sun screen, toiletries, closed shoes, torch, batteries, insect repellent, binoculars and camera.
For more details on what to pack see our Safari Packing List.