Visiting Kenya: Aberdare National Park and The Ark

After Samburu, we traveled southwest to the Aberdare National Park, checking into the country club located on the edge of a mountain to deposit some of our baggage and have lunch before proceeding with the game drive and over-night stay at The Ark.

 

 

Animals, including zebras and baboons, wandered around the golf course through which we passed enroute to the club for lunch.

 

So we checked into the country club, left our luggage, and headed to the buffet for lunch.

 

 

 

Great lunch in marvelous surroundings.

 

With an occasional peacock wandering by.

Next, we boarded a bus to take us to the entrance of the park for a game drive enroute to The Ark.

 

Entering the park, we ran across a couple herds of Cape Buffalo, one of the "Big 5."

 

 

Also saw numerous hyenas.

 

 

The Ark at a distance.

 

Being greeted at the door.

 

Lounging area.

 

By sunset, we were locked in and could not go outside.

 

The Ark was built overlooking a watering hole where the dirt along the banks has minerals that the animals want/need (plus they add salt now and then).  It's like the old salt licks farmers and ranchers used in the U.S.  Thus, the attraction was being able to watch the animals from inside, particularly at night.

 

There wasn't much activity while we were there, though an elephant, Cape buffalo (which had bit of a tiff with the elephant), wart hogs and a few others wandered by.  The buzzer rang as we were having dinner to alert us that an elephant had entered the area, but that was the last time it rang that night.

 

 

On the lowest level, there was a bunker with an open air slot for watching, taking photos.

 

Wart hogs wandered by.

 

 

 

The rooms were small but modern (warm shower) and comfortable, with a hot water bottle in the bed to warm it up at night since it got a little chilly. 

 

 

And dinner was marvelous, again, as usual.

 

 

I'm big on sunrises, and, since I can't sleep well when traveling anyway, I was up for a couple photos.

 

 

 

On the top level was an open lounge area overlooking the pool, perfect for morning photos.

 

....finally, the sunrise.

 

 

 

 

 

A wooden walkway wove itself from The Ark to a landing at which buses picked us up for the trip back through the park and to the country club to continue our journey.

 

 

...the landing

 

 

They had bird feeding along the walkway in the morning.