Aberdares

Aberdares National Park climbs from 2,000m to over 4,000m, encompassing dense montane forest, bamboo zones, and high-altitude moorland. The drive in feels like leaving Africa — fog, ferns, and tree heather cover the slopes.

Tree lodges

Aberdares is famous for its tree-lodge tradition. Lodges like Treetops and The Ark are built around forest waterholes — you sleep above the wildlife, with elephants, buffalo, and rare bongo antelope visiting through the night. A bell rings to wake guests for sightings.

Notable wildlife

The bongo — a critically endangered forest antelope with chestnut coat and white stripes — has its last Kenyan stronghold here. Black leopard sightings are documented. Forest elephants visit the salt licks. The melanistic gene that produces black leopards appears more frequently here than almost anywhere else.