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Mount Kenya
At 5,199 m. high and covering 715
Sq.Kms, Mount Kenya is Africa's second highest
mountain and ranks high on
Kenya safaris. It offers easy
or challenging ascents with superb scenic beauty.
According to the Kikuyu tribe
legends, it is the home of the Supreme Being, Ngai,
a name
also used by the Maasai and Kamba tribes. In traditional prayers and
sacrifices, Ngai (Kikuyu for god) is addressed by the Kikuyu as Mwene
Nyaga, creator of all.
The origin of the parks name comes from Kere
Nyaga, the Kikuyu name for
Mount Kenya, meaning Mountain of Brightness -
Ngai's official home.
175 Kms. from Nairobi, the park ranks high on
Kenya safari
itineraries. It was opened in 1949 and most 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 montane forest begins at
2,000 m. and is mainly cedar and podo. At 2,500 m. begins a dense
belt of of bamboo forest which merges into the upper forest of smaller
trees, interspersed with glades.
In this area the trees are festooned
with high altitude moss.
These forest belts are host to
many different animals and plants with at least
11 unique species.
Wildlife includes the Black and White Colobus and Sykes monkeys,
bushbuck, buffalo, elephant and lower down Olive Baboons, waterbucks,
black rhinos, black fronted duiker, leopard, giant forest hogs, genet
cat, bush pigs and hyenas.
More elusive is the bongo, a rare type of
forest antelope.
A number of other rare or
endangered species can be found here, these includes the
Sunni Buck, Mt
Kenya Mole Shrew, skinks (lizard), and a variety of owls. Occasional
sightings have been recorded of albino zebra.
The high altitude heath at the
top (3,000 - 3,500 m.) is generally open, dotted with
shrubs: African
Sage, protea and helicrysum. The peak (above 3,500 m.) is moorland, with
little game other than high altitude zebra and eland common in the
northern moorland.
There is only one lodge inside
the Park, seven climbers huts and three self-help banda sites. Just
outside the Park there are three lodges and another self-help banda
site.
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