Safari activities Ol Donyo Sabuk Park
Safari activities Ol Donyo Sabuk Park : Despite its natural beauty and extensive history, the 5,115-acre Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park is not as frequently visited as it may be. The park is made up of Mount Ol Donyo Sabuk, ravines, and forested slopes. At 2,144 metres, the peak of the mountain offers stunning views of Mount Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the lowlands around them, which includes Nairobi.
Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park was created in 1967 and was formerly a part of Lord William Northrop Mcmillan’s large Juja Ranch. This property was so large that it is now home to five communities.
- Take a look at the Fourteen Falls.
The breathtaking 27-meter-tall famed Fourteen Falls are a pleasure to behold. They are a kilometer or so from the roadway and come from the equally gorgeous Athi River.
- Appreciate the views.
Enjoy breathtaking scenery when at the top of Mount Ol Donyo Sabuk. A further 5 kilometres will take you inside the Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park. The Maa language interprets the mountain’s name as “big mountain.” It is also known as Kirima Mbogo, or the buffalo hill, among the Kikuyu.
- Tour the Mcmillan Castle.
Built in the 1900s by Lord William Northrop Mcmillan, the 32-room Mcmillan Castle near Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park is a single-story, high-ceilinged example of early 20th-century architecture with underground bunkers.
Built in the 1900s by Lord William Northrop Mcmillan, the 32-room Mcmillan Castle is a single-story, high-ceilinged example of early 20th-century construction with underground bunkers. Prominent figures including Evelyn Baring, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, stayed at the castle. A wooden stairway hidden behind a floor door leads to a room below ground where covert meetings were held.
Because of its immense size, many people think that Macmillan Castle can be considered a fort even without its moat, watchtowers, and cannons. Rumour has it that Lord Macmillan and his spouse lived in one wing of the mansion for half of the year before moving to the other. During World War II, the mansion was also used as a jail.
Then Scandals;
However, there were also lavish scandals involving adultery and pretend marriages held in this magnificent castle. Here was where infamous colonial maverick Colonel Ewart Grogan oversaw and conducted his wine-tossing and wife-sharing orgies, which drew attention from across the world. It was even dubbed “kilavu” by the locals, which translates to “clubhouse.”
December 19, 2008, saw the castle become a gazetted monument. It is intended to become a museum. The graves of Lord Mcmillan, his wife, and their dog are located close to the summit; you might want to visit them while you’re here. This burial also belongs to Louise, a girl who began working for the Macmillan’s at the age of 13.
Mcmillan had desired to be buried in the buffalo’s location, atop Mount Ol Donyo Sabuk, also called Kilimambogo. However, he was too large to be lifted up there. The legend goes that William, his wife, servant, and dog stopped halfway up Ol Donyo Sabuk when the car that was supposed to take him up the mountain broke down.
Even after his death in 1925 at the age of 53, his family still wishes to fulfil his initial goal, 86 years later. There was a time when robbers tried to deface his grave because they thought it contained a valuable treasure. It’s surrounded by a massive granite slab, which is why they failed. Louise’s tombstone is still in place, but his has vanished.
- Take in a Game Drive.
There is a wide range of species in Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park, although the buffalo is by far the most common. The aardvark, Kirk’s dik-dik, olive baboon, python, colobus and vervet monkeys, leopard, and bush pig are some of the other animals.
- Do Some Bird-spotting.
About 45 bird species can be found in Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park. These consist of the Mackinnon grey shrike, white-browed sparrow weaver, and grey-headed sparrow weaver. The African hawk-eagle, mourning dove, augur buzzard, and purple-breasted sunbird are among the others that are simple to identify. Among these are the African pied wagtail, bateleur, great sparrow-hawk, bronze sunbird, black-headed oriole, yellow-vented bulbul, and splendid starling.
One of these lovely days, make it a point to visit the park. It is reachable from Thika town via road. Travel 22 km to the Makutano crossroads on the main Garissa road. At Makutano, turn right and follow the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) sign. Travel three km to Donyo town along an all-weather murram road. Turn right at Donyo and drive another 2 km to the main entrance to the national park.
