aberdares

The Aberdares park is probably most famous for Treetops. Like Mount Kenya it has a mixture of montane grasslands, forest and moorland with birds not seen in other parts of Kenya - at least not the bits that are relatively accessible. The two parks have a lot of birdlife in common including the Crowned Eagle and the Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk; there are also birds such as the African Black Duck, Golden-winged Sunbird, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Hartlaub's Turaco and the White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher that you're far less likely to see outside the highlands.

The Aberdare mountains (also known as the Nyandarua mountains) are a volcanic range which include a National Park and a number of Forest Reserves. It is an important water catchment area and indeed throughout most of the year it gets rain and mist. It is one of the few areas of Kenya where we have driven through the African equivalent of a good, old-fashioned British "pea-souper" fog! The National Park is mostly at a higher altitude than the Forest Reserves and between them they provide a habitat for a number of globally and regionally threatened species. Some of these, such as the African Green Ibis, Ayres's Hawk Eagle, Crowned Eagle, African Grass Owl, Cape Eagle Owl and Long-tailed Widowbird, it has in common with Mt Kenya, but it also has the Aberdare Cisticola, Baillon's Crake and the Striped Flufftail.

This region also contains three other Kenyan Important Bird Areas (IBAs):

• The Mukurweini Valleys to the south-east of the Aberdares. This area is an ideal habitat for Lantana species and so forms a suitable area for Hinde's Babbler. This is a special attraction at the small, privately owned, Wajee Camp bird sanctuary;
• The Kikuyu Escarpment Forest is a southerly continuation of the Aberdare forest but with a number of species which aren't found in the Aberdares. Amongst these are the Orange Ground Thrush, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo and the Red-chested Owlet as well as Abbott's Starling (about which very little is known);
• The Kinangop Grasslands are on a plateau to the west of the Aberdares. This used to be an area of tussock bogs and swampy valleys but these are dwindling fast in the face of small-scale crop cultivations. This is one of the main locations for the endemic Sharpe's Longclaw.

Even if you're not planning on staying in the area there's still a reasonable chance you'll pass through since the main road from Nyeri to Lake Naivasha - and on to the other Rift Lakes - passes through the Aberdares. If you do wish to visit then this is where Treetops, possibly one of Kenya's most famous hotels, is located. We've stayed there a couple of times and not been overly impressed either by the hotel or the game and bird viewing; to be fair other people come away raving about the place. You can also stay at The Ark and Aberdares Country Club or Outspan. Outspan, as well as being used as a staging post for Treetops is also used for one night stopovers to break up a long North-South trip. From the grounds there is a view over a wooded valley, the last time we were there the hotel also did guided walks through the woods. The large grounds themselves provide an opportunity to do a fair bit of birding.

Aberdares Related Links

• Aberdares from MagicalKenya
• Aberdare National Park from Go2Africa
• Aberdare National Park by the Kenya Wildlife Service
• The Aberdares from GORP
• Aberdare National Park Think Quest
• Aberdare Country Club
• The Ark
• Sangare Tented Camp