Mount Kenya National Park
Mount Kenya National Park sounds as the second tallest mountain in Africa with rewardable beautiful scenery and a good place for breath taking. Ideally it is a beautiful wilderness composed of lakes, glaciers, dense forest, mineral springs, variety of wildlife species and as it is ranged on high altitude it attracts with wild game, alpine vegetation and unique montane. Travelers who visits the park get amazed with remarkable experience of mountain climbing, camping as well as visiting caves with the mountain’s rugged glaciers- clad peaks as you gain the impressive backdrop of this area.
However, the park was established in 1949 to protect Mount Kenya, diversity of wildlife species and surrounding environment which are habitat for wild animals. The park is under the protection of ‘’KWS’’ Kenya wildlife Service.
Mount Kenya national park measures 715 square kilometers of its low land and the forest reserve covers an area of 705 square kilometers. When the total area is combined forms 1,420 square kilometers of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The park is surrounded with volcanic sediment and high volume of fresh water that flow down the slopes thus making a favorable area for agriculture.
Initially, the area was a forest reserve before turning it into a national park. And in April 1978 the area was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and recently the national park was encircled by the forest reserve. They are both combined the national park and forest reserve, in 1997 become a World heritage site.
Location to Mount Kenya.
Mount Kenya is located in the south of the Equator and famously known as the second highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro mountain.
Faunas to see in Mount Kenya national park.
Mount Kenya is not only mountainous area but also offers forest reserve which is habitat to large number of animal’s species. They include buffalos, waterbucks, elands, leopards, elephants, tree hyrax, white tailed mongoose, black fronted duikers, mole rats, black rhinos among others.
Below are the activities done in Mount Kenya as listed;
Game drive viewing: Game drive viewing done in Mount Kenya is awesome experience as you can be able to sight see variety of wild animals along water bank inside the park linking for water and such animal species to be encounter include elephants, buffaloes, number of antelopes, leopards many more.
Nature walk: This guided nature walk can be done in forest reserve where you can get amazed with green vegetation as you walk through the forest trails while listening to sweet melodies of birds. On your guided nature walk traveler can be able to see unique tree species, birds as well as primates like black and white colobus monkey, mole rats, white tailed mongoose, Genet cats, Giant forest Hog, bush pig many more.
Mountain climbing: Mountain climbing is the most famously done activity in here and requires one to be healthy in the body in order to be able to trek till the third peak that rises 4.895meter and it take seven days or ten days to reach the top where you get rewarded with beautiful scenery of the land scape.
Camping: This is one of the main activities done in here since along the mountain there is a safe camping point offered to travelers who like camping. During night time travelers get attracted to night stars as well as wilderness sounds.
Birding: On your birding tour in this national park you can be able to view numerous beautiful bird species such as Olive Ibis, Ayres’s hawk eagle, African Crowned Eagle, Long tailed Widowbird, Abyssinian Owl, Cape Eagle Owl, Abbott’s Starling, Lesser Kestrel many other species to be spotted.
Accommodation in Mount Kenya national park
The park has got huge numbers of unique and rewarding camp sites where you can spend your night from and such campsites include; Kinondoni Campsite, Naru moru Gate campsite, Austrian Hut Campsite, Ship top Campsite, Solo Campsite, Major Campsite, Sirimon Gate Campsite among others.
How to get there
By car: Mount Kenya national park can be reached while starting from Nairobi on Nanyuki-Is iolo road passing via Sirimon Track which sits close Naro Moru covering a distance of 175 kilometers by drive. Note that the park offers several gates such as Kamweti, Burguret, Marania, Themwe.
By Air: Alternatively, a traveler can fly from Wilson Airport in a domestic flight that is charter or scheduled flight which can fly you to Nanyuki Airstrip.
Visit Mount Kenya national park and discover the second highest mountain in Africa and also get impressed about its beautiful green vegetation, plant species, mountain glaciers and end up with incredible story to tell rest.
