Looking for a remote but rewarding Kenya safari destination to visit while on your trip, Aberdare National Park is the perfect place. 

This wildlife conservation park in the Nyeri County is renowned agreeably for its biodiversity in flora and fauna. This park harbors many wildlife species admirable for all wildlife enthusiasts to have an exploration adventure.

Aberdare National Park locates east of the East African Rift Valley and an extension of the Aberdare Mountain Range. It is a mountainous set wildlife park with peaks elevated to as high as 13,000 feet. In its enormous build contains dense forests, rivers and flourishing waterfalls, e.g. the Kakuru Falls.

Why is Aberdare National Park Famous?

This Kenyan National Park is quite renowned for its rich biodiversity in animal species, birdlife and plant species. It harbors quite an impressive count of the big five, i.e. elephants, buffaloes, leopards, etc. black rhinos and primates.

The presence of wonderful topography comprising of numerous waterfalls and mountainous terrains also makes it a renowned destination for nature enthusiasts. These features further attract more birdlife to this park.

Aberdare National Park fees structure

At the entrance of this park, certain charges are levied by the authorities as structured by the Kenya Wildlife Service. Briefly have an understanding about these fees;

• Adult foreign nonresidents and residents pay 40 USD in the low season, i.e. from March to June. In the peak season, i.e. from July to February, the entrance fee is 70 USD.
• Infant foreign tourists are charged 20 USD each and also students foreigners pay 20 USD each
• Each East African citizen pays 600 KSH in the low season whereas in the peak season the charge levied is 800 KSH
• East African infants and students are charged 215 KSH for a daily entry ticket at Shimba Hills National Reserve.

Safari vehicles are also levied for entry per day. They are priced as follows;

• Compact SUVs with a maximum seating capacity of 6 pay 300 KSH
• 6-12 seats vehicles pay 1030 KSH
• 12-24 seats vehicles pay 2585 KSH
• 25-44 seats vehicles pay 4050 KSH
• 45 seats vehicles and beyond pay 5000 KSH

Wildlife at Aberdare National Park

Expect to observe the following animals in the Aberdare National Park. these include; elephants, buffaloes, black rhinos, leopards, the giant Forest Hogs, the Bongo Antelope, primates, various bird species, denotable reptiles and amphibians like the lizards, snakes frogs and toads

 Things to do at Aberdare National Park

The park authorities and management coordinates a number of well organized activities in which tourists can observe wildlife species in the most astounding manner. These activities have different levels of experiences on tourists though some have the most exciting thrills. The following are the top things to do at this National Park;

• Game drives

This guided activity by experienced drivers and park rangers is one of the most exhilarating adventures to encounter wildlife in this wildlife conservation. Tourists are moved around the diverse landscapes of Aberdare in reliable 4X4 safari cars. These vehicles are capable of moving across the park in any terrain and in the most comfortable way.

These vehicles are fashioned with a pop up roof and natural light windows that let in unobstructed views of the park animals. The game rangers and guides on this safari keep on detailing all the required specs about the encountered landscapes and wildlife.

Expect to observe a variety of wildlife species on these safari drives such as the elephants, monkeys, rhinos, the bongo antelope, buffalos and so much more. Game drives at Aberdare National Park are Kshs 1,720 upto 4hrs and Kshs 3,015 for over 4hrs plus Kshs 2,155 for night game drives.

• Guided nature walks

This activity provides tourists the opportunity to explore the diverse landscapes of Aberdare National Park and its diverse wildlife species on foot. It’s a guided activity by trained personnel and park rangers who accompany you through this exhilarating activity through the terrains of this park. These guides provide maximized insights about the encountered landscapes and wildlife so that you get a deep understanding about the park’s ecosystems.

Guided nature walks present you the chance of appreciating the amazing beauty this park portrays to the human eye and behind camera lenses. You shall have unobstructed scenes of the diverse plant life of this park and its other resounding features.

• Bird watching safaris

This kind of Safaris is the most ideal travel activity for birdlife enthusiasts that visit this park. Aberdare national park is home to a very large number of birdlife. Recent census records over 250 species of birdlife that inhabit the park.

These birds are mostly seen in the moorlands, the lush forests and grassland landscapes of the park. The notable species you should expect to observe on these guided walks include the Jackson’s Francolin, the endangered cisticola and the warbler, plus so much more birdlife. Expect to be detailed on the ways of life of these birds from their breeding traits, to their nesting and foraging traits.

Other interesting park activities you should engage in at Aberdare National Park include;

• Horseback safaris
• Camping
• Sundowner and sunrise safaris.

Accommodation at Aberdare National Park

There are a lot of fine accommodation options one could decide to choose to stay in while having the astounding adventure at Aberdare National Park. This park is surrounded by luxurious stays, midrange stays and budget friendly stays. Get to know about the best lodges and hotels from every class of accommodation below;

Best luxury hotel

The Falcon Inn Retreat is arguably the top notch high end accommodation option at Aberdare National Park. It locates 2.7 km from the park, quite an easy destination to access. Rooms at Falcon Inn are well endowed with amenities, plus they are furnished and fashioned in a wildlife theme. This modelling keeps you in the wild outside the wild.

Besides its perfect made rooms, this lodge has a well-equipped health club, multi cuisine diners, very fast internet connections, among other luxurious treats. Accommodation at Falcon Inn Retreat goes for 302 USD per night for a couple. This includes a perfect meal plan, self-contained rooms, 24 hours health club access and so much more.

Consider residing at either Bronalt Luxury or at the Sarah’s place if your taste in luxury accommodations doesn’t prefer Falcon Inn. The above are the two best alternatives for your luxury stays at Aberdare National Park.

Best midrange hotel

Midrange hotels are basically high end but economic stays. They are exquisite settings but astounding on budget fairness. The Ark Lodge emerges to be the best midrange hotel around Aberdare National Park. It locates just 5 miles away from this park.

Rooms at this fine establishment are very well assorted with all the amenities you need to have a perfect stay without moving outside for anything. In addition, this lodge is strategically located to give you sunrise and sunset moments at any spot in this park.

A fully accommodated stay per night at The Ark Lodge goes for 261 USD inclusive of meals and room service. Apart from the Ark Lodge, you could enjoy top tier midrange accommodation at either The Zambarao Farm House or at Rhino Watch Safari lodge. Those are the next two top alternatives for midrange accommodation at Aberdare National Park.

Best budget friendly hotel

Maverick Camp is the most popular destination for tourists looking for budget friendly accommodation at Aberdare National Park. This lodge is quite astounding for its class giving you up top services at 77 USD each night. Expect a nice comfortable stay at this camp surrounded by hospitable people and calm vegetation.

Besides Maverick Camp, the park is surrounded by other nice budget friendly stays around and within, the highlight alternatives should be Ranges View Lodge and Juniper Green Gardens.

Best time to visit Aberdare National Park

Before you plan for your trip to Aberdare National Park, put in consideration a number of aspects for this adventure. One of the few aspects you should consider is the times of the year you should give this game park a visit.

Aberdare National Park has two weather seasons that it experiences, i.e. the wet season and the dry season. The wet season typically starts from November to May and the dry season starts early June to September, and December to February.

In the dry season, Aberdare National park is dry and its vegetation is less dense. The sun vibrantly shines through the skies unto the shrubby savannah grasslands of this park. The pathways in the Aberdare are very navigable and dry thus an easy, quick and enjoyable safari. Spotting wildlife in this season is effortless at the Aberdare National Park.

The wet season however is characterized by a bust of infant wildlife and plentiful bird species in this game reserve. The vegetation is lush green and densely vegetated with vibrant green.

The biggest challenge of this weather season is probably the muddy and almost unnavigable terrains of this wildlife conservation after the heavy rain pours. Aberdare National park records high rainfall totals in this season that make park activities have a few inconveniences in their punctuality.

The skies are often dark because of the ever present nimbus clouds lashing a rain pour at any moment. This makes spotting of wildlife challenging, plus recording photographic memories is quite unclear too.

The dry season is statically the best time to visit Aberdare National Park because of its so many advantages to its bio and its less flaws.

How to get to Aberdare National Park

Travelers to this game reserve can arrive most conveniently by road, specifically through a trusted tour company. With a tour company safari, expect to pass through Kenyan traffic swiftly. These companies can cover this 156 km stretch from Nairobi to the park location in under 3 hours. The drivers are skilled and know whatever quickest routes to get to the park. Some of the routes these drivers may use are not traceable on GPS platforms.

Alternatively you can travel by self-drive through the smart road network from Nairobi to the Loitoktok District. For those unfamiliar with Kenyan roads, the GPS platforms are quite accurate and provide less traffic routes to the reserve. Going to this game reserve, you need an all-wheel drive vehicle to cruise through the mixed Kenyan roads terrain. Talk to us today and we will be able to arrange for you the most reliable all-wheel drive vehicles at the fairest prices.

Your Drive Kenya is a globally renowned car rental company for its world class services when it the field of transporting you around all East African Countries, with world class drivers and amazing cars. Our cars are of the best condition and they are guaranteed of a sublime performance.

Our fleet of cars  consists mostly of four wheel drive cars, famously known as 4X4 cars, with unmatched on and off road ability. Expect to get through all the types of roads on this journey to Aberdare in our affordable vehicles.

You could choose to rent any of the cars available at our offices for your travel plans throught Kenya. In our fleet, we have the Land cruiser 70 series, the V8/VX series, Toyota Rav4 and the TX/TZ series.

The Land cruiser 70 series is characterized as a reliable 4X4 vehicle having a very strong engine that can tow more than 2 tones. It seats 7 people, with clear windows and a pop up roof.    

The TX/TZ series collection is of Toyota Land cruisers with an excellent fuel consumption. These cars have a strong engine under their hood, i.e. the 2.7 liter petrol and the 3.0 liter diesel for the TX series, whereas a 3.4 V6 for the TZ series. All these cars are four wheel drive, can seat 5 adult passengers and have good ground clearance.

The V8/VX series are a collection SUVs initially produced for a high end cruise. These cars are also Land cruisers but having quite stronger engines compared to the 70 series and the TZ/TX series. The V8 has the 4.7 Liter petrol engine and the VX has the 4.5 liter diesel engine. They are the most comfortable cars for your safari drives to Aberdare National Park and around Kenya

The Toyota Rav4 is a compact sized four wheel drive car. It has a small 2.0 liter engine but quite strong for its class. It’s capable for traversing past the uneven terrain of Kenyan road without any hardship. It is the most economic 4X4 vehicle on Kenyan roads. Visit our website at www.yourdrivekenya.com for our car prices, reservations and other important information on your travel plan to Aberdare National Park.

Aberdare National Park is a renowned destination for tourists from all over the world. It has skeptical wildlife in its beautiful landscapes, plus it has excellent accommodation options for tourists to stay. This National Park is of great support to the tourism efforts of Kenya Wildlife Service.