The Aberdares.
Cloud forest and moorland to four thousand metres, forty minutes from the plains and about fifteen degrees colder.
One or two nights, on a second visit. Cloud forest and moorland to 4,000 metres, fifteen degrees colder than the plains, and a floodlit salt lick worth staying up for. You will not see a bongo.
- Give it
- 1–2 nights
- Best months
- Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct
- From
- $460 pp/night
- Come for
- Forest, waterfalls, cold
A forest, not a savannah — and it takes some adjusting to
The Aberdare range runs a hundred kilometres north to south, rising from 2,000 metres of dense montane forest to 4,001 at Ol Doinyo Lesatima, through bamboo and then open moorland of giant heather and lobelia. It is a completely different Kenya: wet, cold, close, and full of things that hide.
The species reflect that. Bongo — the largest forest antelope in the world and desperately shy — survive here in small numbers; giant forest hog, black serval, melanistic leopard, blue monkey and Sykes’ monkey are all present, and none obliges on a schedule. Elephant and buffalo move through the forest and are far more dangerous on foot here than in the open.
This is a place for guests who understand that a forest yields slowly. If you want to see animals in numbers, do not come. If you want to sit above a floodlit waterhole with a whisky at eleven at night and wait for whatever arrives, this is the best such place in Africa.
767
km² of national park
4,001 m
Ol Doinyo Lesatima
~100
Estimated bongo remaining
290+
Recorded bird species
The tree lodges, and one house below
The Aberdares invented the tree lodge — a building on stilts above a floodlit waterhole and salt lick, where guests sit up watching whatever comes in. There are two well-known ones in the park, both large, both institutional, and both genuinely worth one night for exactly this reason and no other.
What we usually do instead is place guests in a small lodge or house on the forest edge below the park — warmer, better food, a fire in the room — and drive up for the day and one waterhole evening. The Nyeri and Mweiga side has three properties we rate.
One night is right almost always. The Aberdares are a change of register in the middle of a journey, not a destination in themselves, and by the second cold, wet morning most guests want the plains back.
Month by month
| Months | Weather | Conditions | Crowds | Our view |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan – Feb | Cold, often clear; frost on the moorland | Best visibility; forest tracks firm | Low | The best window |
| Mar – May | The long rains; heavy, persistent | Tracks difficult; leeches on the moorland | Very low | We would not go |
| Jun – Sep | Cold, drizzling, misty — the highland winter | Fair; atmospheric rather than clear | Moderate | Beautiful if you like weather |
| Oct | Drier, cold, clearer | Good | Low | A good month |
| Nov – Dec | Short rains, then clearing | Good; green and dramatic | Moderate | Fine, and cold |
Access
Two and a half hours from Nairobi on tarmac to the Nyeri gate, or twenty-five minutes by air to Nanyuki and an hour by road. Forty minutes from Ol Pejeta and an hour from Mount Kenya, which is how most guests fold it in.
What you pay to enter
National park entry is USD 52 per adult per 24 hours. There is no conservancy fee, since the park is state land. Included in every AETHER journey and itemised on your invoice.
Before you go
Cold — genuinely. Five to ten degrees at night at 2,500m and colder on the moorland, with rain likely in any month. Bring a fleece, a waterproof shell and warm socks; every lodge supplies hot water bottles. No malaria risk at this altitude, which is one of the region’s quiet advantages.
Four places we use, and why
A tree lodge above a waterhole
In the park · from $460 pp/night
Large and institutional, and the only way to sit above a floodlit salt lick at midnight watching giant forest hog. One night, for that alone.
A country house at Mweiga
Eight rooms · from $580 pp/night
Below the park on the forest edge: fires, good food, a garden and trout in the stream. Where we put most guests.
A fishing lodge on the Gura
Six rooms · from $520 pp/night
On one of the best trout streams in Africa, with rods, a ghillie and nothing else to do. For anglers and for readers.
A private house near Nyeri
Six guests · from $760 pp/night
Exclusive use with a chef, a fire in every room and the mountain behind. For families and groups wanting the highlands warm.
Waterfalls, moorland and a night at the salt lick
The waterfalls. Karuru drops 273 metres in three stages and Gura falls opposite it slightly further — the highest in Kenya, reached on rough tracks across the moorland and almost always seen alone. Chania falls is gentler and closer.
The moorland. Above 3,000 metres the forest gives way to giant heather, groundsel and lobelia, and the driving is slow and beautiful. Walking is permitted with a ranger, and the ascent of Ol Doinyo Lesatima is a full day from the Wandare gate.
Trout. The Gura, Chania and Karuru streams were stocked with brown and rainbow trout in the colonial period and fish well. Rods and a ghillie are arranged locally, and it is the only fly fishing we sell in Kenya.
The salt lick. One night at a floodlit waterhole, staying up as late as your patience allows. Giant forest hog, bushbuck, elephant and — perhaps once a season — a bongo. It is a slow evening and an unforgettable one.
Two nights, as we would build it
Into the highlands
Driven up from Nairobi or across from Ol Pejeta, arriving at a country house on the forest edge for lunch by a fire. An afternoon walk in the forest with a ranger.
The moorland and the falls
A full day up through bamboo to the moorland — Karuru and Gura falls, lobelia, and a picnic somewhere very cold. Down in the afternoon for tea.
The salt lick, and out
A morning’s trout fishing or a second forest walk, then one night above a floodlit waterhole before driving out the following day.
What pairs with the Aberdares
Select a region
Masai Mara
Amboseli
Samburu
Laikipia
Ol Pejeta
Lewa
Naivasha
Nakuru
Nairobi
Meru
Loita
Tsavo
Watamu
Diani
Lamu
Ol Pejeta, 40 minutes. Rhino and chimpanzees on the plateau below, and the standard highland pairing.
Mount Kenya, one hour. The Chogoria and Sirimon routes, or simply a lodge on its lower slopes for the same cool-forest register.
Laikipia, 90 minutes. Down onto the ranchland for riding, walking and warmth — the sensible move after two cold nights.
Lake Naivasha, 90 minutes. The other side of the Rift, and a warm garden after a wet forest.
On The Aberdares
Is it worth including?
For a second or third visit, or for anyone who likes forests, yes — it is the most complete change of register available in Kenya. For a first safari with seven nights, no; spend them on the plains and come back for this.
Will we see a bongo?
Almost certainly not. Perhaps a hundred survive in the wild here and they are nocturnal, forest-dwelling and profoundly shy. A tree lodge sees one a few times a season. Anyone selling you a bongo sighting is not being straight with you.
How cold is it really?
Five to ten degrees at night at lodge altitude, and near freezing on the moorland before dawn. Rain is possible in every month. Bring a proper fleece and a waterproof shell; this is the one part of a Kenyan journey where you will want them.
Is there malaria?
Effectively no — the altitude is above the mosquito’s range, which makes the highlands a genuine option for guests who cannot take prophylaxis. Confirm with your own doctor, since the drive up passes through lower country.
Can we climb?
Yes. Ol Doinyo Lesatima at 4,001m is a long day-walk from the Wandare gate with a ranger, no technical skill required but real fitness needed. The Elephant Hill route from the Kikuyu escarpment is shorter and steeper.