Oldonyo Sabuk National Park is situated in Machakos county, Northeast part of Kenya. The park covers 20.7 square kilometres lying prominently above the Athi plains. This national park was gazetted in 1967 and is referred by the local Kamba community as Kilima Mbogo meaning the “Mountain of buffalo” and to the Maasai community as the “big Mountain”. The park can be indistinctly viewed from Nairobi and it attracts day trippers, hikers or groups of friends and families yearning for abit of adventure out of their normal routine and confinement.
The park was once an expansive farm and home to William Macmillan, an American settler from America, who visited and settled in Kenya in 1901. On different occasions, he hosted explorer and former American president Theodore Roosevelt and British prime minister, sir Winston Churchill. One interesting fact is that the late Tom Mboya, a popular politician in president Jomo Kenyatta era was born at Oldonyo Sabuk where his father worked as a casual labourer at Macmillan’s sisal farm.
The vegetation here is essentially comprised of the giant lobelia commonly associated with the afro alpine zone of mount kenya and mount Elgon.
Attractions at Oldonyo Sabuk National Park
Wildlife viewing
Game viewing is one of the activities that you can do within the park. Buffalos are the dominant wildlife in the ecosystem. Other wildlife species include leopards, bushbucks, olive baboons, aardvarks, porcupines, rock hyrax, pythons and monitor lizard.
Birdwatching
The park hosts about 45 bird species for bird lovers to watch such as yellow rumped tinkerbird, long billed pilpit, purple crested turaco, Red capped Robin chat, Gray Tit fly catcher, African Hill babbler, yellow whiskered greenbul, thick billed seedeater, white headed sawwing, kikuyu white eye, spot flanked barbet and many more.
Scenic hiking trail
The park offers hiking opportunities as one of the popular activities visitors enjoy in the great outdoors. The hike to the summit takes approximately 3 hours.
MacMillian Burial site
Visit the historical MacMillian burial site. At 7 kilometres towards the summit lies an unusual burial site the grave of sir William Northrup McMillian. The settler initial wish was to be buried at the summit but his vision did not come into fulfillment. The site also holds the grave of McMillian’s wife, their maid and the family dog.
Picnics and camping
The park offers great camping, picnicking and team building grounds for visitors looking for more adventurous and fun activities in the wild. Other attractions near the park include the famous fourteen falls which boasts of a 27-meter-deep scenery.
How to get to oldonyo Sabuk National Park
By Road: From Nairobi, travel approximately 85 km north-east of Nairobi to Thika town. Proceed 22km along the main Garissa Road to Makutano junction. At Makutano, follow the KWS signage and turn right. Proceed 4km on an all-weather murram road to Donyo town. At Donyo, turn right and proceed a further 2km to the main gate.
Accommodations at Oldonyo Sabuk National Park
There is availability of accommodation options from camping to comfortable lodges. Camping sites like turaco provides water, bathrooms, and kitchen and does not require prior booking since it is a public camping site. Where as special camping sites like summit lookout, visitors reserve in due time from the wildlife authorities and are advised to come with their own tents and provided with camping ground and security.
Oldonyo Sapuk Resort
The resort features 34 well appointed rooms comprising 20 deluxe rooms and 14 standard suites. Each space is designed to offer privacy, relaxation, and a seamless blend of modern comfort with natural surroundings. It is near oldonyo Sabuk National Park just 26 kilometres from Thika town. It provides an easy access to your activities at the park. While at this resort you can as well engage in Horse riding within the resort grounds, swimming, pool table sessions, card games and board games.
Beketa Holiday Home
Just located 1.9 km from Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park, Beketa Holiday Home in Thika has a restaurant. The guest house offers continental dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Beketa Holiday Home offers a children’s playground. It features 5 Bedrooms suitable for tourists and travellers. It has several amenities that would guarantee your comfort.
Best time to visit Oldonyo Sabuk National Park
The park experiences both hot and cold weather conditions, the best time to visit oldonyo is during December to march and June to August. During this period the trails are dry and better clear skies for all activities in the park.