The 'Aberdare Range' (formerly, the 'Sattima Range',
Kikuyu: ''Nyandarua'') is a 160 km long range of uplands in west central
Kenya, north of the capital
Nairobi, that forms a section of the eastern rim of the
Great Rift Valley as it runs from the
Kinangop Plateau, to the
Laikipia Escarpment roughly north-south.
The Aberdare Range has an average elevation of 12,000 - 13,000 feet above sea level and is heavily-forested. Much of the range has been protected within the
Aberdare National Park since its creation in
1950. The range attracts large numbers of hikers and climbers, operating out of the main centers of
Naivasha and
Gilgil.
The lower slopes are farmed, while higher areas are known for their
wildlife. The
Rhino Charge is an annual event run by conservationists in
Kenya to pay for fencing off the Aberdare National Park as a means of protecting East Africa's largest indigenous forest from destruction.
The former name of the range survives still in
Oldoinyo la Satima ("the mountain of the young bull"); at 4,001 meters (13,120 feet), it is the highest peak in the Aberdare Range.
Mount Kenya (5,199 m, 17,057 ft), the second highest mountain in
Africa (after
Kilimanjaro), lies several kilometres east of the Aberdare Range.
References