Aberdare ranges in Aberdare national park
Aberdare ranges in Aberdare national park: Aberdare national park is a remarkable destination for a Kenya safari and great scenic national park located in the central region of Kenya, east of the East African Rift Valley. Aberdare national park is one of the popular destinations in Kenya for mountain hiking safari lieing in a distance of 150 kilometers from Nairobi the capital city of Kenya. Aberdare national park covers an area of 766 square kilometers and was established in May 1950, this park comprises of many tourist attractions such as waterfalls, wildlife species, bird species, cultural and historical sites and the Aberdare ranges.
Aberdare national park is a historical destination famous known for being the historical headquarters of Mau-Mau rebellion leader Dedan Kimathi in 1950s, also the park hold a special place in the life Queen Elizabeth as she a become a Queen of England while on a safari vacation in Aberdare national park. Aberdare national park is also known for being a site where J.A. Hunter killed the rogue elephant of Aberdare forest.
Aberdare ranges in Aberdare national park are an isolated volcanic range of 160 kilometers long forming the easternmost wall of the Great Rift Valley, these ranges are remarkable features for hiking safaris in Kenya. Aberdare ranges is also referred to as Nyandarua by the Kikuyu people of Kenya, these ranges is located in an area habited by the local Kikuyu people and the name Nyandarua means a drying hide due to the distinctive fold of its silhouette.
Aberdare ranges are characterized with a steeply fall off into the Kinangop plateau on the west side and more gently slope on the east side, these range have a maximum elevation of about 4000 meters above the sea level and they are heavily forested with rainforests, dense bamboo forests and moorland. Aberdare range is made up of 6 ranges with Mount Satima as the highest peak at the elevation of 4000 meters and Mount Kinangop as the second highest peak at the elevation of 3,906 meters, other peaks of Aberdare ranges include
- Chebuswa range at elevation of 3364 meters
- Table Mountain at elevation of 3791 meters
- Martini Hill at elevation of 3698 meters
- Elephant range at elevation of 3590 meters
From the top of these ranges, Lake Naivasha and distant Mau Escarpments are visible while on a Kenya mountain trekking safari. Aberdare ranges’ heavy forests habit a variety of wildlife species such as elephants, antelopes, black and white colobus monkeys, skyes monkeys, olive baboons, reedbucks and many bird species such as African yellow warbler, Jackson’s francolin, golden-winged sunbird, Hartlaub’s turaco, hunter’s cisticola, green thunderbird and many more. Sights of these animals and birds are rewarded to tourists while on a Kenya mountain climbing safari in Aberdare national park.
Aberdare ranges in Aberdare national park were baptized the name Aberdare in 1884 by Joseph Thomson in honor of Lord Aberdare the then president of the Royal Geographical society and the Royal Historical Society. Lord Aberdare was also a Liberal Politician and served as a Home secretary from 1868 to 1873, he was later to become the first chancellor of the University of Wales in the Kingdom of Britain.
Among the ranges making up Aberdare ranges, two of them are more prominent that are Mount Satima and Mount Kinangop as detailed below.
Mount satima
Mount Satima in Aberdare national park is the highest range among the Aberdare ranges standing at the elevation of 13,127 ft. above the sea level, this mountain is the third highest mountain in Kenya and offers excellent Kenya mountain climbing safaris. Mountain Satima is also known as Mount Lesatima which is abbreviated to Satima, to the Masai people of Kenya this mount have alternative spellings to the name of mount satima for example Ol Donyo Le Satima which means “mountain of the bull calf”.
The peak of Mount Satima is the highest point of the ranges and lies in the northern end of Aberdare ranges along the eastern side of the Great Rift Valley, this peak is surrounded by a number of sharp volcanic cones called Dragon’s Teeth. On northwest of Mount Satima there are also Moraines between 3,600 and 3,800 meters, because of these features Mount Satima was referred to as “a craggy bluff of rock and tussock grass around which the clouds swirl” by one book about Kenya.
Mount Satima possess magnificent scenery as it is shrouded in mist and its landscape is dominated by Erica, lobelia, groundsel and other odd-looking alpine flora that grows reaching 6 meters in Height.
Mount Kinangop
Mount Kinangop in Aberdare national park is the second highest point of Aberdare ranges standing at the altitude of 3,906 meters above the sea level, this mountain is also offers excellent Kenya mountain climbing safaris. Mount Kinangop is a dominant volcano situated overlooking the Kinangop plateau in the west and the Great Rift Valley beyond.
Mount Kinangop is also referred to as IIKinangop and lies in the southern Aberdare range, this volcano is dominated by a range of vegetation on different levels, the lower levels of this volcano are dominated by extensive bamboo forests and the higher level is dominated by tussock grasses. The main peak of Mount Kinangop is a rocky outcrop dominated by open moorlands, temperatures at this volcano are typically cool and at times drop below the freezing point at night because of the height.
Aberdare ranges in Aberdare National Park offer adventurous mountain climbing safaris in Kenya so it should be on your list of the destinations to visit on a Kenya mountain climbing safari.
