What is the treetop waterhole lodge experience

The treetop lodge is an elevated structure built over a floodlit salt lick and waterhole where nocturnal animals come to drink and feed. Guests observe the wildlife throughout the night from the warmth of the lodge, with most properties offering a viewing deck, lounge, and dining area all facing the waterhole.

What animals can I see at the waterhole at night

Elephants are the most frequent visitors and often arrive in family groups. Buffalo, waterbuck, bush pig, giant forest hog, black and white colobus, and occasionally black rhino, leopard, and serval are also recorded at Aberdare waterholes.

Is the Aberdare safari suitable for children

Yes, the Aberdare experience is excellent for children who enjoy wildlife. The treetop waterhole viewing is safe and exciting, and the waterfall drives provide dramatic highland scenery that is different from anything in Kenya's savannah parks.

What should I pack for the Aberdare safari

The Aberdare highlands are cool and can be wet. Pack warm layers, a waterproof jacket, good walking shoes for optional short walks, and binoculars for both wildlife and birdwatching. Altitude can cause mild breathlessness on arrival.

Can this safari be extended to other parks

Yes, the Aberdares pair well with Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lake Nakuru, or a continuation north to Samburu for a multi-destination highland and savannah combination.

2 Day Nairobi Aberdare Safari Waterfalls and Forest Wildlife

Overview

Itinerary

Cost

FAQs

Map

Review

Overview

Itinerary

Cost

FAQs

Map

Review

Overview

A Nairobi Aberdare safari is the perfect short escape from Kenya’s capital into the misty highland forests and dramatic waterfall landscapes of the Aberdare National Park, one of Kenya’s most atmospheric and undervisited wilderness destinations. This 2-day safari drives you north from Nairobi through the fertile central highlands in just two hours, arriving at a forest park where the ecological character, wildlife community, and sensory atmosphere are entirely different from anything the savannah parks can offer. The Aberdares are part of Kenya’s central water tower, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve protecting the mountain forests and moorland that supply clean water to millions of Kenyans downstream. The park’s most celebrated wildlife experience is the treetop waterhole lodge, a unique accommodation concept where you spend the night in an elevated structure overlooking a floodlit salt lick and waterhole, watching elephant, buffalo, black rhino, giant forest hog, and other nocturnal animals arrive under the lights while you observe from the warmth and comfort of the lodge. The Aberdares also contain some of Kenya’s most spectacular waterfalls, including the magnificent Gura Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Africa, accessible by game drive through the forest. This Nairobi Aberdare safari is ideal as a weekend getaway, a pre-safari introduction to Kenya’s highland wilderness, or a standalone escape for nature lovers who want to experience the country’s highland forests and their unique wildlife before or after exploring Kenya’s better-known savannah parks. The park’s diversity of wildlife, from elephants and lions to the rare bongo antelope and giant forest hog, ensures that every visitor leaves the Aberdares with sightings and experiences genuinely unlike those of any other Kenya destination.

Trip Highlights

Overnight treetop waterhole lodge with floodlit wildlife viewing
Nocturnal elephant, buffalo, and rhino visits to the waterhole
Gura Falls and other spectacular highland waterfalls
Giant forest hog and bongo antelope in highland forest
Game drives through bamboo forest and Afromontane moorland
Black and white colobus monkey troops in the forest canopy
Highland birdwatching with rare Aberdare forest species
Just two hours from Nairobi for a complete wilderness escape

Day 01 :

Nairobi to Aberdare National Park

Your Nairobi Aberdare safari begins with a morning departure from Nairobi, driving north through the agricultural highlands of Kiambu and Nyeri counties, where tea estates and coffee farms cover the hillsides before the landscape transitions into the indigenous highland forest of the Aberdare mountain range. The two-hour drive climbs steadily to an altitude of over 2,000 metres above sea level before entering Aberdare National Park through the forest gate. The immediate change in atmosphere upon entering the park is striking, with the temperature dropping, the vegetation becoming dense and mossy, and the sounds of the savannah giving way to the calls of forest birds and the rush of highland streams. After a welcome lunch at the treetop lodge, your afternoon begins with a waterfall game drive through the park’s highland zone, where your guide navigates forest roads toward the magnificent Karuru, Gura, and Chania Falls that plunge from the escarpment in thundering curtains of white water. Wildlife is encountered throughout the drive, with giant forest hog, black and white colobus monkey, and forest elephant moving between the bamboo groves and open moorland. Return to the treetop lodge before dark and settle in for the evening’s waterhole vigil, as the floodlights illuminate the salt lick and the first nocturnal visitors begin to emerge from the forest.

9 hours

Lunch + Dinner

Day 02 :

Aberdare National Park to Nairobi

After an extraordinary night at the Aberdare waterhole, during which elephants, buffalo, waterbuck, bush pigs, and possibly rhino and giant forest hog may have visited, rise for breakfast at the lodge with the final morning forest sounds accompanying your meal. After checking out, embark on a morning game drive through a different sector of the Aberdare National Park, targeting the highland moorland where the landscape opens to reveal the full drama of the Aberdare massif and where eland, serval, and the elusive African hunting dog may be encountered in the open montane grassland. The morning drive includes a visit to the Elephant Falls or the Karuru viewing point depending on accessibility and conditions, providing a final spectacular highland landscape memory before the drive back to Nairobi. You arrive in Nairobi by midday, refreshed and enriched by an overnight Aberdare experience that demonstrates just how much Kenya’s wildlife heritage extends beyond the famous savannah parks.

7 hours

Breakfast