Wildlife in Aberdare National Park is great to experience. The park is placed within different compositions of the biodiverse ecosystem ranging from the open lowland, rain forest, and bamboo forest, to the moorlands. It stretches along the walls of the Aberdare ranges rising to 4001 meters above sea level. It was gazetted in the 1950’s as a national park and UNESCO world heritage site as a way of protecting animal species that call it home. The region covers an area space of approximately 766 kilometers in central Kenya and is being managed by the Kenya wildlife authority.
Aberdare National Park is one the best-known destinations of the country its steep topography and forests act as a major water catchment area for the surrounding communities and abundant wildlife species. A hike through the forest is a thrilling experience showcasing many animal encounters and amazing waterfalls. The Aberdare mountain ranges are the biggest attraction of the National Park this is a 160-kilometre solitary rock on the East Africa rift valley border, besides the mountain range there are several wildlife species in the national park.
Wildlife in Aberdare National Park includes African elephants, warthogs, black rhinos, spotted hyenas, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, African civet cats, reedbucks, giant forest hogs, lions, leopards, hippos, Bongo antelopes, sykes monkeys, African wild dogs, hyenas, to mention a few, the park is known to have some of the highest numbers of black rhinos and a breeding point though they are not easy to see due to their solitary nature and secretiveness, over 250 species of birds have been recorded in the park example species include Jackson’s francolin, hartlaubs Turaco, cisticolas, sunbirds, African fish eagles, African harrier hawks among others.
Wildlife in Aberdare ranges is encountered while doing tourism activities including game drives, these are conducted in sessions in the morning, afternoon, and evening times, it is one of the few places in the country where doing night game drives is allowed, guided nature walks through the well-distributed trails of the park, Hiking through the trails to amazing waterfalls will take you to great birding spots and the park is generally a great place to see birds on your Kenyan birding safari.
The best time to see wildlife in Aberdare National Park is during the dry season between the months of December-February and June –September when the trails of the park are much drier and easier to access, the park is at its best and this time is also referred to as a high tourism season. It is advisable to book safari experiences on time to avoid last-minute bookings and cancellations. There is available accommodation in the park ranging from the best budget to luxury facilities Examples of accommodation types include Aberdare Country Club, The Ark Lodge, and Treetop Hotel.
In conclusion, the best time to see wildlife in Aberdare national park is during the early mornings of the dry season, or late evenings when it is cool and animals relaxed.