The Aberdare National Park is located in the Aberdare Mountain Range in central Kenya, situated east of the East African Rift Valley. It includes the higher elevations and the Aberdare Salient to the east.

Overview

The park is about 100 kilometers north of Nairobi and has many different types of land. It is located at elevations between 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) and 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). Created in May 1950, Aberdare National Park covers 767 square kilometers and is part of the Aberdare Mountain Range. The park includes high mountain peaks and deep valleys shaped like the letter "V," which are crossed by streams, rivers, and waterfalls. At lower elevations, moorland, bamboo forests, and rainforests can be found.

History

Aberdare National Park is famous for being the place where, in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II became queen after her father, King George VI, passed away while she stayed at the Treetops Hotel. The park was created in 1950 to help protect the Aberdare Mountains. Today, it covers an area of 767 square kilometers (296 square miles).

Wildlife

The protected area is home to many animals, including lions, leopards, elephants, East African wild dogs, giant forest hogs, bushbucks, mountain reedbucks, waterbucks, Cape buffalo, suni, side-striped jackals, elands, duikers, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, and sykes monkeys. Less commonly seen animals in the area include the African golden cat and the bongo. Common elands and servals are found in the higher moorlands. The Aberdare National Park also has a large population of eastern black rhinoceroses and over 250 bird species. These birds include the endangered Aberdare cisticola, Jackson's spurfowl, sparrowhawk, African goshawk, African fish eagle, sunbirds, and plovers.