Aberdare National Park

Walk through Aberdare for a day and you surround yourself with the famous residents of the trees. This sublime forest in the clouds is a haven for animals that rarely grace an East African safari, and we love travelling on two feet to find the unusual and endangered.

Explore Aberdare's never ending savannah.

A typical Aberdare safari starts with a game drive through the open lower rainforest and moorland, an easy two to three-hour drive seeking out the resident black rhinos and leopards. It then continues on foot, with a series of exquisite hiking trails revealing mammals and some dramatic birds of prey.

Aberdare is full of unique wildlife.

We think that the secretive and surprising wildlife makes Aberdare appeal more to those who have visited Africa before. Rather than the big five, you stumble upon bongos and reedbuck, wander beneath Sykes and colobus monkeys, then watch mongoose and giant forest hogs appear at dusk. Spotting elephants and buffalo is also relatively easy and we'll never forget how big they appear on a walking safari. Local guides use ancestral tribal knowledge to ensure your safety when on foot, carefully analysing the animals' behaviour so you skip around anything that could be menacing.

Aberdare Country Club is the park's flagship lodge, bringing a luxury that follows the adventure through the forest. You'll hear and see a whole wildlife cast from your suite, the likes of baboons and duiker playing around on the lawns that stretch out below.

Meet wildlife on foot.

Our finest memories of Aberdare have come from the outstanding multi-day walking safaris. You head deep into the woodland world, following all the subtle clues of animal behaviour. Luxury mobile camping maintains the impression of wilderness and there's a thrilling mystique that seems to hang over every moment of the journey.

Aberdare is far from the classic safari experience and that's the appeal, especially if you like the outdoors and don't want to spend an entire safari in a vehicle. With its proximity to other parks in central Kenya, Aberdare can make a great little interlude to the savannah that the country is more famous for.