Aberdare National Park is an amazing place in central Kenya, it is tucked along the eastern Rift Valley region covering an area space of approximately 766 square kilometres, it was declared a national park in 1950 as a way of protecting animal species that call this home, the park is a known UNESCO world heritage site, it was made famous when in 1952 when the Queen of England was declared queen, at the time when her father passed she was in the Aberdare ranges at the treetop hotel. The ranges are the largest physical feature of the conservation area, along its slopes are magical waterfalls some of which act as water catchment areas for the surrounding communities.
Aberdare ranges are home to abundant wildlife species including the so-called big five of the wilderness (lions, leopards, African buffaloes,elephants and Rhinos), zebra, giraffes, warthogs, bush bucks, hippos, cute blue duiker, several cats, reedbucks, bongo antelopes, stripped jackal, giant forest hogs, to mention a few and over 250 species of birds have been recorded in the park for example pelicans, flamingoes, plover birds, herons, sunbirds among others. These exist within the biodiverse environment comprising of the rolling mountain range of the Aberdare range, mountains, moorlands, tropical forest, rivers and Marshy swampy areas.
How to reach Aberdare National Park can be by road or by air, by road from Nairobi it takes approximately 160 square kilometres to the national park, which is about +/-3 hours’ drive from the city, pickup is at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or your agreed pickup place, ways pass through Nyeri or Naro Moruon estates, to beat the terrain, it is advisable to use a 4×4 wheel car drive, for example, safari land cruisers, safari drones and super customs. Driving to Aberdare National Park can be done on self-drive or by use of a tour operator.
Flying to Aberdare National Park is the fastest way how to reach the park, it begins with landing at the international airport in Nairobi and thereafter connecting to domestic flights to the nearest airstrip, it takes 40 minutes to land at the destination, flights can be arranged as a charter or scheduled operated by air Kenya and Safari link. Bookings are done directly to the airline or through your ground handler.
How to reach Aberdare National Park is best during the dry season between the months of December-February and June-December when the trails of the park are drier, there are not much of mosquitoes as the water sources tend to dry up, this also leaves the region with few water points hence easy to see wild animals. The wet season is ideal too but rather comes with difficult, on-road access, and seeing mammal species takes longer drives than during the wet season the advantage is that the season comes with discounts on tour costs and accommodation.
In conclusion, how to get to Aberdare National Park can be done by any method that is convenient for the guest, it can be by air or by road transfers each way is convenient.