Most Safaris Involve Driving for Hours to Find Animals. In the Aberdare National Park, the Script is Flipped.
You sit still, and the animals come to you.
This is the home of Kenya’s famous Tree Top and Stilt Lodges. These iconic buildings, designed to resemble ships or rustic fortresses, are perched high above the ground overlooking natural salt licks and waterholes.
At The Expat Tours, we love including a night here because it turns safari into theater. You have a front row seat to the drama of the wild 24 hours a day.
1. The “Waterhole” Strategy
The concept is brilliant in its simplicity. Because the Aberdare forest is dense, seeing animals from a car can be tricky. So, these lodges were built directly over the spots where animals gather to drink.
From the safety of your open air deck, you can watch breeding herds of elephants, giant forest hogs, and buffalo interacting just meters away. It is mesmerizing, silent, and incredibly close.
2. The Night Watch & The Buzzer
The action here does not stop at sunset. In fact, it gets better. Powerful floodlights illuminate the waterhole all night which turns it into a stage.
You do not have to stay awake all night to see the rare stuff. Many of these lodges, like The Ark, have a buzzer in your room. One buzz might mean a Hyena. Two buzzes might mean a Leopard. Three buzzes might mean a Rhino. It adds a thrill to your sleep because you never know who is visiting.
3. Eye Level with Giants
For photographers, this is paradise.
Lodges like The Ark feature a ground level bunker or hide. You can descend into a concrete room with narrow viewing slits that put you literally at eye level with the feet of the animals. Hearing the rumble of an elephant’s stomach or smelling the dust on a buffalo’s coat from two feet away is an adrenaline rush you will never forget.
4. A Royal History
You are walking in royal footsteps.
The most famous of these lodges is Treetops. This is where a young Princess Elizabeth went to sleep one night in 1952 and descended the next morning as Queen Elizabeth II after her father, King George VI, passed away during the night. Staying here connects you to that deep colonial history of Kenya.
The Forest is Awake
Experience the safari that happens while the rest of the world is sleeping.
???? The “Highland” Gear Ready for the night watch? These lodges are popular and unique. We secure the rooms with the best views of the salt lick. Pro Tip: The Aberdares are high altitude and can get very chilly at night! When you book with us, we will provide a detailed packing list ensuring you bring the right layers to stay warm while you watch the leopard prowl.
