Tourist activities in Aberdare National park are done within the protected national park area in the central part of Kenya, the Aberdare national park covers an area space of approximately 766 square kilometers and as gazette in the 1950, the park was declared a UNESCO world heritage site as a way of protecting animal species that call this home including the so called big five of the wilderness (African buffaloes, elephants, rhinos, lions and leopards), the national park is one of the closest ecosystems to Nairobi city, it acts as a major water catchment area to the surrounding communities.
Tourist activities in Aberdare National park include Game drives, this is the primary activity of the national park, these are conducted in sessions in the morning beginning at 6:00am, afternoon at 2:30pm and evening time, the park is one of the few places where doing night game drives is allowed, game drives last for 2-3 hours depending on guest preferences sometimes they can go all day with packed lunch in search of game , expect to see giraffes, waterbucks, reedbucks, antelopes , giant forest hogs, hartebeests and birds enroute. Game drives are done using 4×4 wheel car drives characterized with an open roof top to enhance guest views and photography.
Hiking Aberdare mountain ranges is an exciting and thrilling experience, these rise up to 4001 meters above seas level, the mountain gives some of the best hiking experiences in Kenya, example hills that can be hiked include the elephant hill hike, enroute you will have a chance of spotting animal species, hiking the Satima peak gives travelers a great experience of views of the mountain Kenya, to reach the summit it takes 5 hours. Hike the beautiful Karuru Waterfalls, this is the tallest waterfalls in the country. All hikes are start with a morning briefing from the park rangers on what to expect and how to conduct your selves.
Bird watching in the national park is a beautiful experience, there are over 290 species of birds that have been recorded in the park, this gives some of the best views of birds especially to travelers that have come to the country for birding experience, expect to see mountain buzzards, African harrier hawks, sunbirds, eagles, to mention a few. Birding is best done during the wet season when the park receives migratory species.
Visit the local communities including the Kikuyu people, these present their local cultures and styles through dances and song performance to travelers, they live along the slopes of the mountains and take the Aberdare ranges to be their scared places.
Best time to do activities in the national park is during the dry season between the months of December-February when the park trails are less slippery and easy to access, there is available accommodation in the national park ranging from the best budget to luxury, example facilities include the Ark hotel, Aberdare country club to mention a few.
In conclusion tourist activities in Aberdare national park can be done all year round, the park is placed about +/-3 hours’ drive from Nairobi.