It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Before that, it was gazetted as a National Park in 1949 to protect Mount Kenya, the second tallest mount in Kenya after Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, protect wildlife and the surrounding forest, which acts as a water catchment area in Kenya. Mount Kenya National Park is a Safari destination because Mount Kenya favors mount climbing lovers. At lower altitudes, animal species can be seen, including; endangered mountain Bongo, elephants, black-and-white colobus, other monkeys, and Cape buffaloes.