Mount Kenya National Park
National Park - 715 sq km - Managed by Kenya Wildlife Service
AT
5,199m high, Mt. Kenya is East Africa’s second highest mountain. It offers easy or challenging ascents with superb scenic
beauty.
To the Kikuyu tribespeople it is the home of the Supreme being: Ngai, a name also used by the Maasai
and Kamba tribes. In traditional prayers and sacrifices, Ngai is addressed by the Kikuyu as Mwene Nyaga: Possessor of Brightness.
The names comes from Kere Nyaga the Kikuyu name for Mt. Kenya, meaning Mountain of Brightness – Ngai’s official
home.
Part
of the mountain’s fascination is the variation in flora, including Giant Groundsel and Lobelia, and fauna as the altitude
changes. The lower slopes are covered with dry upland forest, the true montaine (mountain) forest begins at 2,000m is mainly
cedar and podo. At 2,500m begins a dense belt of bamboo forest which merges into the upperforest of smaller trees, interspersed
with glades. In this area the trees are festooned with high altitude lichen.
These forest belts are host to many different animals and plants
with at least 11 unique species. Game to view includes: Black and White Colobus and Sykes Monkeys, bushbuck, Rock and rock
Hyrax, Greater galago, white tailed, buffalo, elephant and lower down Olive Baboon, waterbuck, Black Rhino, black fronted
duikers, leopard, giant forest hog, genet cat, bush pig and hyena. More elusive is the bongo, a rare type of forest antelope.
A number of
other rarer species can be found here: Suni Antelope, Mt. Kenya Mole Rat, skinks (lizard), Montane Viper and a variety of
owls. Occasional sightings have been recorded of albino zebra.
Birds are not abundant in the forest. But you can find Crowned
hawk eagel and the Jackson's francolin. Rarely you can find the Abyssinian long-eared owl.
Birds seen form the lodge
include; Green ibis, African black duck, Ayres' hawk eagle, Rufous-breasted and great sparrow hawks, Scaly francolin,
Silvery-cheeked hornbill, Hartlaubs turaco, red headed parrot, bronze-naped pigeon, Mackinder's eagle owl, Rupells robin
chat.
There are
two species of giant Lobelias; the narrow, featherly-leafed lobelia telekii and the broad-leafed lobelia keniensis which are
a favourite of sunbirds for their half hidden blossoms or the thin shelled snails that make their home there.
Plants also
include crocus-like flower; Romuela keniensis, two terrestrial orchids - a Disa and a Habenaria, and an orange flowered gladiolus,Gladiolus
Watsonioides.
The high altitude heath at the top (3,000 – 3,5000m) is generally open, dotted with shrubs: African
Sage, protea and helichrysum. The peak (above 3,500m) is moorland, with little game other than high altitude zebra and eland,
common in the northern moorland.
There is only one lodge inside the Park (total 66 beds) seven climbers huts (total 82 beds) and three
self-help banda sites (total 136 beds. Just outside the Park there are three lodges (total 456 beds) and another self-help
banda site (34 beds).Hotel accommodation can be found in Nanyuki 198km (123m) North of Nairobi or in Nyeri 257km (160m) North
of Nairobi.
Also available are mountain expeditions using mules as pack animals organised by mountain safaris firms and Alpine
huts for mountaineers booked through the Mountain club of Kenya.
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