Discover highland forests, moors and royal roots in Aberdare National Park

The Aberdares feels like nowhere else in Kenya. Picture cool, crisp air and mist swirling from the tops of tropical forests that go on for miles. The volcanic, 13,000-foot peaks of the Aberdares range stretch across Kenya’s central highlands all the way to the Great Rift Valley. Treks or game drives in the Salient will take you through afro-montane forests dotted with crashing waterfalls, where elephants and giant forest hogs emerge from the trees and on occasion, you can spot the shy bongo – Kenya’s rarest antelope.

This forested wonderland is a complete contrast with the Aberdare’s Kinangop plateau, which is covered with heather-spotted moorland that resembles Scotland. Explore the national park on a game drive for a chance to see everything from black rhinos to colobus monkeys, leopards, baboons and wild cats. Bird watchers will find plenty to love in the forests, which are home to over 250 species, while trout swarm the gargling rivers, drawing fishermen to its shores.

Aberdare is also a reminder of Kenya’s colonial past. It’s cool climes and dense forests were a magnet for British colonists, including Queen Elizabeth II, who was famously holidaying here in 1952 when her father King George VI died and she ascended the throne. Iconic colonial hotels like the Ark still stand as a reminder of this moment in history, boasting treetop rooms that overlook salt licks and waterholes teeming with wildlife. Later, the Aberdare’s dense forests became a fierce battleground during Kenya’s fight for independence in the 50s, when Kikuyu Mau Mau guerrillas waged war among the trees.