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1. General Information
Mt Kenya National Park, opened in December 1949
is located about 175 kms from Nairobi city. It covering an extensive
area of 715 sq kms at an altitude of between 11,000 and 17,058 ft.
Mt Kenya, Africa's second highest most mountain, rises to 5199m.
The 3200m mark upwards forms part of the national park. Surrounding
the park is Mt Kenya National Reserve covering an area of approximately
2095 sq kms. This park is unique for its diverse habitats. The lower
slopes of the mountain consist mainly of dry upland forest.
True montaine forest starts at 2000m with cedar
and podo amongst the main tree species. At 2500m begins the dense
belt of bamboo forest. This is the part with a variety of flora
and fauna. High altitude heath covers the area between 3000m and
3500m. Above this is moorland, which supports little game save for
high altitude zebra and eland. Generally, the mountain can be divided
into three principle zones; the rocky peak area, which is basically
an eroded volcanic plug with a layer of glaciers and snowfields;
the alpine zone, consisting giant vegetation and the lower slopes
covered in mountain forest and finally, the bamboo jungle.
This magnificent park is an important watershed
with the Tana River, Kenya's largest and longest river and a major
source of electricity supply, originating from here. The lower slopes
also have fertile soils, which support growth of the country's richest
farmlands, and a unique variety of vegetation. The mountain forms
a great part of the history of the Kikuyu, Kenya's largest language
group. The Kikuyu believed that Mt Kenya was the home of Ngai, the
Supreme Being and as such, built their homes facing its peaks. Within
the park, there is only one lodge though there are also some climber
huts and self-help bandas. Outside the park, there are three lodges
and another self-help banda.
2. Getting There
There is an airstrip in Naro Moru; thus, those avoiding
a road trip can go by flight and take a short drive from the airstrip
to the park. Several roads lead to the park, among them the Nanyuki-Isiolo
road, Nyeri- Nanyuki and the Embu-Meru roads.
3. Major Attractions
A major attraction of the park is the brilliant
scenery. Starting with the snow-capped peaks, a rare sight in an
equatorial region, this mountain itself is an amazing sight, with
lakes, glaciers, mineral springs and the differential habitats.
A variety of flora and fauna also attract many a tourist to this
park. Amongst the former, podocarpus, giant groundsel, both species
of lobelia, romuela keniensis, two terrestrial orchids, orange flowered
gladiolus and the crocus like flower make up the unique and rare
species. The high altitude heath is strewn with shrubs such as African
sage, protea and helichrysum.
Animals found within the park include leopard, elephant,
buffalo, black and white colobusmonkey (this monkey is afraid of
movements including the movement of it's own tail) and, sykes monkeys,
rock hyrax, giant forest hog, waterbuck, bushbuck, giant forest
hog, black rhino, genet cat, bush pig, hyena, bongo, a rare forest
antelope. Other rare species that can be spotted include, Mt Kenya
mole rat, suni antelope, skinks (lizards), albino zebra and a several
species of owls. Bird life is not prolific within the park, however
one is likely to spot the Jackson's francolin, the crowned hawk
eagle and a rare sighting of the Abyssinian long-eared owl. Within
the lodge, a larger variety including Mackinder's eagle owl, African
black duck, green ibis, redheaded parrot, silver-cheeked hornbill
amongst others can be seen.
A famous activity is climbing the mountain itself.
The mountain has three peaks; Point Lenana, (4985m) which can be
reached by any reasonably fit person, Nelion (6189m) and Batian
(5199m) peaks, which require skilled mountaineers to reach. There
are four routes of ascent; the Burguret trail, Sirimon trail, Chogoria
and Naro Moru trails, with Chogoria trail being the most scenic
of the other trails. A minimum of 5 days is recommended for the
climb, 3 days for the ascent and 2 for the descent. This activity
is a memorable one and thus a must-do for the adventure seeker.
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