The Ark| In calm waters, where the animals come to you!
Set in the heart of the Aberdares National Park, iconic and yes, quirky. The Ark overlooks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick, which attracts a host of awesome wildlife. Modeled after Noah's Ark!
The Ark has four viewing decks with balconies and lounges to provide superb game viewing from the comfort of the lodge, where the animals come to you!
The Lodge
The Ark has four viewing areas from which to observe the ever-present animal activity at the waterhole and salt lick. There is also a ground level hide – the perfect spot for the discerning photographer. From this vantage point, photos of animals can be taken at eye-level so as not to miss any animal sightings.
The resident guide will buzz your room when special animals come to the waterhole, you simply need to throw on your provided robe and slippers, grab your camera and view nightlife at the waterhole!
The Ark has four viewing areas from which to observe the ever-present animal activity at the waterhole and salt lick. There is also a ground level hide – the perfect spot for the discerning photographer. From this vantage point, photos of animals can be taken at eye-level so as not to miss any animal sightings.
The resident guide will buzz your room when special animals come to the waterhole, you simply need to throw on your provided robe and slippers, grab your camera and view nightlife at the waterhole!
The Guest Rooms
All the rooms at the Ark whether single, twin, double or triple configuration, are tastefully furnished to give you a level of comfort that keeps you relaxed through out your stay.
All the rooms are self-contained with en-suite shower and bathroom.
Additional Features
- Hot water bottles in the bed that are filled every night,
- A buzzer to alert you on the presence of animals of special interest visiting the water hole at night,
- Bottled drinking water.
Activities at The Ark
Rich in Wildlife
Visitors can observe different animals, such as elephants, leopards, buffalo, rhinos in the park. These animals come to the waterhole and can be seen from the comfort and secure decks.
Elephants dominantly rule the waterholes and salt licks. There are other animals that come to drink water such as hyenas, which have to contend with elephants chasing them off at great speed. Some animals such as leopards are shy. However, the leopards are often seen in the morning and evening during Game drives.
While on game drives or nature walks through the forest, you may chance upon various monkeys, such as the Colobus and Vervet monkeys, for whom the Aberdares National Park is an ideal habitat. In the forest there are many animals like the Red Duiker, Suni, Bushbuck, elephants, buffaloes, leopards etc. The moorland thickets are the home of Bush Duicker and Black-fronted Duicker and also the Black Rhino. Different birds Species are also found here.
Rich in Wildlife
Visitors can observe different animals, such as elephants, leopards, buffalo, rhinos in the park. These animals come to the waterhole and can be seen from the comfort and secure decks.
Elephants dominantly rule the waterholes and salt licks. There are other animals that come to drink water such as hyenas, which have to contend with elephants chasing them off at great speed. Some animals such as leopards are shy. However, the leopards are often seen in the morning and evening during Game drives.
While on game drives or nature walks through the forest, you may chance upon various monkeys, such as the Colobus and Vervet monkeys, for whom the Aberdares National Park is an ideal habitat. In the forest there are many animals like the Red Duiker, Suni, Bushbuck, elephants, buffaloes, leopards etc. The moorland thickets are the home of Bush Duicker and Black-fronted Duicker and also the Black Rhino. Different birds Species are also found here.
Game Drive
Half or full day Game drives to The Salient and The Moorlands in Aberdare National Park, in search of the plethora of animal activity, and capture that perfect photograph to take back home.
Game drives to the Solio Sanctuary, a private game reserve that extends between the spurs of Aberdare Mountains and Mt. Kenya are possible too. This 25,000 hectare reserve became famous because of its unique success in the rearing of the White and Black Rhino. Lions, leopards,cheetahs, buffaloes and zebras can also be spotted in large numbers.
Nature Walk and Guided Tour
Enjoy various guided bush walks through the well-developed trails in the park. The guides have in-depth knowledge of the local flora, fauna and wildlife. The KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) rangers will be happy to answer any questions you have about animals or the history of the area. It is mandatory to have a ranger for the walks in the park.
Enjoy various guided bush walks through the well-developed trails in the park. The guides have in-depth knowledge of the local flora, fauna and wildlife. The KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) rangers will be happy to answer any questions you have about animals or the history of the area. It is mandatory to have a ranger for the walks in the park.
Other Activities:-
Bird Watching - Bird life found in the forest is abundant and varied with over 250 species of bird recorded. The most conspicuous group is the Sunbird, with four abundant species: Tacazze Sunbird, Golden-winged Sunbird, the emerald-green Malachite Sunbird and the tiny, double collared Sunbird.
Birds can be watched whilst on a game drive or on an organized nature walk.
Visit to the Moorlands - At the moorlands you will see the magnificent waterfalls of River Magura, River Karuru and River Chania.
Trout fishing - Can be done in the moorland’s small rivers, the major one being the River Chania, within Aberdare National Park.
Bird Watching - Bird life found in the forest is abundant and varied with over 250 species of bird recorded. The most conspicuous group is the Sunbird, with four abundant species: Tacazze Sunbird, Golden-winged Sunbird, the emerald-green Malachite Sunbird and the tiny, double collared Sunbird.
Birds can be watched whilst on a game drive or on an organized nature walk.
Visit to the Moorlands - At the moorlands you will see the magnificent waterfalls of River Magura, River Karuru and River Chania.
Trout fishing - Can be done in the moorland’s small rivers, the major one being the River Chania, within Aberdare National Park.
Location/Direction
The Ark is located within the Aberdare National Park.
By Air
1 hour flight from Wilson Airport Nairobi to Nanyuki airstrip and around 1 hour drive from Nanyuki airstrip to Aberdare Country Club.
The Ark is reached after a stop for lunch at the Aberdare Country Club and is a 45 minute drive from the Aberdare Country Club.
By Road
The Ark is 207 Km (172 miles) from Nairobi. The drive from Nairobi to The Ark via The Aberdare Country Club takes about 3 hours.
The Ark is located within the Aberdare National Park.
By Air
1 hour flight from Wilson Airport Nairobi to Nanyuki airstrip and around 1 hour drive from Nanyuki airstrip to Aberdare Country Club.
The Ark is reached after a stop for lunch at the Aberdare Country Club and is a 45 minute drive from the Aberdare Country Club.
By Road
The Ark is 207 Km (172 miles) from Nairobi. The drive from Nairobi to The Ark via The Aberdare Country Club takes about 3 hours.
Highlights :- A unique day and night game viewing at the lodge modeled as the Noah's Ark,
Lunch is served at the Aberdare Country Club and at 2.30 pm the journey to the Ark begins. During this journey, guests have the opportunity to view herds of buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, baboons,hyenas and on many occasions the leopard.
At 4 pm, tea and coffee is served and at 5 pm, you can experience the feeding of the birds on The Ark bridge.
Once inside The Ark, the Resident host and hostess close the door at 6.30 pm and it's opened again at 6.30 am.
Before dinner, the host gives an interactive talk to guests, who can ask questions and get answers about the local fauna and animals. Dinner is served from 7.30 pm to 9 pm.
Going to bed early does not mean missing the action. Guests have been known to stay up all night watching the wildlife, but If you do want to go to bed during the night the resident ranger stays on watch and will buzz your room if an interesting animal comes to the water hole.
One ring for Elephant, two rings for Rhino, three rings for Leopard and four rings for other unusual sightings like the Giant Forest Hog. The choice is yours – and you can turn the buzzer off if you like!
At 6.30 am a xylophone is played along the corridors as a wake up call and at 7 am breakfast is served. Departure time is 8 am.