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Mount Kenya National Park
Mount Kenya is an imposing extinct volcano dominating the
landscape of the Kenyan Highlands. The mountain has two main
peaks – Batian (5,200 meters) and Nelion (5,188 metres). The
mountains slopes are cloaked in forest, bamboo, scrub and
moorland giving way on the high central peaks to rock, ice and
snow. Mount Kenya is an important water catchment area,
supplying the Tana and Northern Ewaso Nyiro systems.
Mount Kenya National Park has varied Vegetation from
bamboo forest, scrub and moorland giving way on the high
central peaks to rock, ice and snow |
Mount Kenya has beautiful tarn lakes like the one seen
above |
The rare Bongo Antelope in Mount Kenya National Park |
At 5199m
high, Mount Kenya is Africa's second highest mountain. It offers
easy or challenging ascents with superb scenic beauty. To the
Kikuyu tribes people it is the home of the Supreme Being; Ngai,
a god that resides here. Part of the mountain's fascination is
the variation in flora and fauna as the altitude changes. The
lower slopes are covered with dry upland forest, the true
mountane (mountain) forest begins at 2000m is mainly cedar and
podo.
At 2500m begins a belt of bamboo forest which merges into the
upper forest of smaller trees, interspersed with glades. The
high altitude heath at the top (3000-3500m) is generally open,
dotted with shrubs, African sage, protea and helicrysum. Animals
found here are Sunni buck, Mount Kenya mole, shrew, skinks
(lizard) and variety of owls. Occasional sightings have been
recorded of albino zebra. Wildlife to be
spotted in Mount Kenya National park include Giant forest hog,
tree hyrax, white-tailed mongoose, elephant, black rhino, suni,
black fronted duiker, mole- rat and over 130 species of bird.
Major attractions in Mount Kenya National Park include; Pristine
wilderness, lakes, tarns, glaciers and peaks ofgreat beauty,
geological variety, forest, mineral springs, rare and endangered
species of animals, high altitude adapted plains game. Unique
mountane and alpine vegetation with 11species of endemic plants.
See Mount Kenya Safari - Mountain Climbing safaris;
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