Aberdare National park is located in the central part of Kenya, it was gazette in the 1950 and declared a UNESCO world heritage site as a way of protecting animal species, Aberdare national park is situated along the mountain ranges of Aberdare along the eastern side of the great Rift Valley, it is best known as the park where Queen Elizabeth of England learned of the death of her father and was named Queen of England while staying at the treetop hotel in the 1952. The conservation area covers the highest mountain range in the central Kenya and gives great hiking experiences.
Aberdare national park is home to abundant wildlife species including the so called big five of the wilderness, example species include African buffaloes, elephants, reedbucks, leopards, Rhinos, leopards, zebras, giraffes, to mention a few and over 250 species of birds have been recorded in the park, these roam the ecosystem drinking from water holes and feeding on the grasses in the open savannah, wildlife is best seen while doing activities like game drives, guided nature walks through the well distributed trails of the park and hikes.
Best time to visit Aberdare national park is during the dry season between the months of December-February and June to September, due to the higher elevation of the national park it is a cooler place compared to other savannah parks, during the dry season, the trails of the park are much drier and easy to access, grasses thin out and animals gather around water sources which makes easier to spot wild animals. There is less of stagnant water this reduces the risk of getting infected with Malaria caused by mosquitoes. The down side of the dry season is that it is regarded as a high tourism season which attracts many travelers, tour and accommodation costs come at a high price.
The park can be visited during the wet season despite it coming with difficult in viewing animal species, it is the best time to go birding in the mountain range when it receives migratory species, example bird types include pelicans, herons, sunbirds, martial eagles , African harrier hawks to mention a few. The beauty about the wet season is that it is all green, accommodation facilities offer discounted rates and tour costs come cheaper, if you are planning for a safari in the green season and on budget it is wise to consider these months.
Aberdare ranges can be reached by road or air transfer from the nearest airstrips, it takes 3 hours to the national park by road it is advisable to use 4×4 wheel car drives to have a better experience through the African wilderness, at the park entrance you are required to have permits to have access to the park, these can be accessed through the Kenya wildlife authority or with the aid of a tour operator.
In conclusion best time to visit Aberdare national park can be anytime of the year depending on guest preference and what you will be doing in the park.