From
$2,809
Tree House · Aberdare, Kenya
The Ark Lodge
A 60-cabin tree lodge shaped like Noah's Ark in Aberdare forest, featuring four decks, a floodlit waterhole, a photo bunker, and night-time wildlife alarms.
Noah’s Ark was built to survive a flood. The Ark Lodge was built to give its guests a front-row view of the Aberdare’s wildlife — and in the matter of waterhole drama, the parallel is not entirely without logic. The lodge sits at over 2,000 metres above sea level in a forest glade in the heart of Aberdare National Park, a highland wilderness of bamboo, podocarpus forest, and moorland that runs north of Nairobi through central Kenya’s backbone. The Yasabara waterhole and salt lick in front of the lodge are the centrepiece of a stay here — a permanent water and mineral source that draws elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, bushbuck, and a cast of nocturnal species to within metres of the lodge’s lowest deck throughout the day and night.
The lodge itself is the product of a design decision that has become iconic. Built across four levels in the physical form of Noah’s Ark — wooden decks, curved profile, balconies stacked from ground level to roofline — the structure makes no pretence of blending into the landscape. Instead it occupies the glade with deliberate theatricality, transforming the act of watching a waterhole into something more immersive and structured than a standard game drive or hide experience. Every level faces the waterhole. After dark, floodlights illuminate the salt lick and water surface, extending the viewing day through the night for guests willing to keep the hours. An in-room bell system rings when significant wildlife arrives — one ring for general game, more for elephant or rhino — ensuring that no major sighting is missed regardless of what time it occurs.
Access to The Ark follows a protocol that is itself part of the experience. Guests arrive at the Aberdare Country Club — the lodge’s sister property on the park boundary — in time for lunch, then transfer by dedicated lodge shuttle through the park into the forest glade. Only lightweight overnight bags and camera equipment are permitted on the shuttle; excess luggage is stored at the Country Club. The arrangement concentrates everything into the overnight stay: a dinner on board watching the floodlit waterhole, a night of intermittent wildlife alerts, and a breakfast before the return shuttle — an intensity of wildlife encounter that a multi-day wilderness camp stretched across the same area would dilute.
The Ark Lodge is an Ark-shaped tree lodge in Aberdare National Park. It features 60 cabins, four viewing decks, a photo bunker overlooking a waterhole, and a night-time wildlife alarm system. Stays include dinner and breakfast, with lunch and transfers at Aberdare Country Club.
Why Stay Here
- Yasabara Waterhole: Elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard visit the salt lick directly in front of the decks.
- Four Viewing Decks: Includes a ground-level photo bunker for Kenya's closest waterhole wildlife proximity.
- Night Wildlife Alarms: An in-room bell system alerts guests to significant wildlife arrivals at any hour.
- Floodlit Night Viewing: Waterhole activity continues after dark, visible from the bar, lounge, and restaurant.
- Noah's Ark Design: An iconic, four-deck wooden lodge that remains one of Kenya's most distinctive addresses.
- High-Altitude Forest: Set 2,000 meters high in the Aberdares, offering a cool climate and Mount Kenya views.
- Country Club Connection: Aberdare Country Club hosts lunch, stores luggage, and runs the lodge shuttle.
Our Commitment to Conservation
The Ark Lodge operates within a national park under KWS management, with no vehicles permitted in the immediate lodge area — guests arrive and depart by dedicated lodge shuttle. The organic produce sourced from Aberdare Country Club's own gardens reduces food supply-chain distance and supports the self-sufficiency of the combined property operation.
Rooms & Accommodation
The Ark’s 60 cabins are distributed across three deck levels — A, B, and C — in single, double/twin, triple, and family configurations. All are compact, comfortable, and en-suite with a shower, flush toilet, and electricity. Deck C is the main deck housing the restaurant, bar, and cloakrooms. Deck B is an open balcony level directly above the salt lick. Deck A is the glassed-off upper lounge level. The ground-level Deck D is the photography bunker — not a sleeping level. An optional in-room buzzer connects guests to the wildlife alarm system so night arrivals at the waterhole are not missed. Wheelchair access is available. Only lightweight overnight bags and camera equipment are permitted; excess luggage is stored at Aberdare Country Club.
Single Cabin
Compact cabin-style room on one of the lodge's three sleeping decks, with a single bed, en-suite shower and toilet, and the full lodge bell and alarm system. Modest in size — the room is a sleeping space; the experience happens on the decks.
Single bed · En-suite shower · Flush toilet · Electricity · In-room bell alert system · Wi-Fi in public areas
Double / Twin Cabin
The lodge's standard two-person cabin — double or twin configuration on request — with en-suite shower and toilet and the full bell alert system. Comfortable and well-maintained. The deck position varies; request a Deck B cabin for the closest proximity to the waterhole.
Double or twin beds · En-suite shower · Flush toilet · Electricity · In-room bell alert system · Wi-Fi in public areas
Triple Cabin
Three-bed cabin suited to three adults or two adults with a child. En-suite shower and toilet. The same compact, functional character as all The Ark's cabins — the room is for sleeping; the wildlife is on the decks.
Three single beds · En-suite shower · Flush toilet · Electricity · In-room bell alert system · Wi-Fi in public areas
Family Cabin
The lodge's largest cabin configuration — double bed for adults and additional beds for children, en-suite shower and toilet, and the full bell alert system. Suited to families for whom the waterhole bell experience — particularly effective for children woken by a rhino alert at 2 am — is the primary reason for the stay.
Double bed + children's beds · En-suite shower · Flush toilet · Electricity · In-room bell alert system · Wi-Fi in public areas
Experiences & Activities
Every moment at The Ark Lodge is crafted to immerse you deeper in the wild.
Waterhole and Salt Lick Viewing
The Yasabara waterhole and salt lick draw elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopards day and night. From four viewing decks and a ground-level bunker, guests can observe wildlife at close range without vehicles or guides—the lodge is built entirely around watching the waterhole on its own terms.
Night Wildlife Viewing
Floodlights illuminate the waterhole after dark while the bar and lounge stay open. An in-room bell alerts sleeping guests to major arrivals, with black rhino sightings among Kenya's most reliable due to Aberdare National Park's protected population.
Ground-Level Photography Bunker (Deck D)
A ground-level, pillbox-style bunker with view holes facing the salt lick offers the closest, lowest proximity to the waterhole. Open to all guests by day, it provides photographers with eye-level images with no vehicles or fences between the lens and the wildlife.
Ship's Library
A curated library stocked with books on the Aberdare's ecology, flora and fauna, the natural history of the region, and the broader story of Kenya's highland wilderness. Available to guests throughout their stay as an in-lodge resource.
Aberdare Country Club Facilities
The sister property on the park boundary provides lunch, luggage storage, a pool, tennis, and the lodge shuttle. Arriving or extending guests can access the Country Club's garden estate grounds and facilities on the edge of the park.
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Dining
Dining at The Ark is built into the structure of the stay. Lunch is taken at Aberdare Country Club before the transfer into the park. Dinner is served on board in the main dining room — either buffet or set menu depending on guest numbers — with the waterhole floodlit and visible through the restaurant windows throughout the meal. Breakfast is served before the return shuttle the following morning. The bar and lounge on the upper deck remain open through the night for tea, coffee, and drinks, allowing guests who want to watch the waterhole after dark a warm, comfortable base for doing so. The kitchen uses organic vegetables and produce from the Aberdare Country Club’s gardens. A wine cellar with a curated selection is available. Dietary requirements are accommodated with advance notice; lunch boxes can be arranged at the Country Club for guests with specific schedule needs.
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Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit The Ark Lodge in Aberdare National Park is during the dry seasons from June to September and January to February, when limited rainfall forces the park’s wildlife out of the thick montane forest to congregate reliably around the lodge’s floodlit waterhole and salt lick. Because The Ark is a unique, self-contained forest lodge where game viewing happens directly from open decks and glass-walled bunkers, it remains an excellent year-round destination regardless of the weather outside. However, visiting during these drier months ensures easier navigation along the park’s steep mountain roads and offers the clearest, mist-free conditions for viewing the elephants, buffaloes, and elusive leopards that visit the waterhole, whereas the rainy seasons from April to May and October to December bring thick fog, muddy trails, and dispersed wildlife, but reward visitors with lush, emerald forest backdrops, spectacular waterfall flows, and peak birdwatching opportunities at discounted accommodation rates.
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Location & Getting Here
Destination
Aberdare, Kenya
Conservation Area
Aberdare National Park
Nearest Airstrip
Mweiga Airfield
Transfer Time
1-hr flight from Wilson Airport + road transfer to Aberdare Country Club + lodge shuttle. Road: 197 km from Nairobi
Getting Here
In a forest glade in the heart of Aberdare National Park, 197 km from Nairobi (approx. 3.5 hrs via Nyeri) and 16 km from Mweiga Airfield. All guests check in at Aberdare Country Club before transfer by lodge shuttle into the park. The Ark pairs naturally with Mount Kenya safari lodges, Laikipia, Samburu, or the Maasai Mara on central and northern Kenya itineraries.
Safaris That Include This Lodge
Explore handcrafted itineraries where The Ark Lodge forms part of the journey.
