Hello Local Guides,
On Saturday 13th April 2019, I hosted a meet up at Karura Forest which was basically a hike around the reserve, taking the scenic route and snapping as many photos as we could. Karura is a gazetted forest located 5 minutes from Nairobi city, with over 600 hectares of vegetative cover. The tree species are a mix of indigenous trees and imports from South America, Australia and the Asian sub-continent.
The forest has paths that visitors use as trails for hiking and jogging. The quiet, serene atmosphere is good for thinking and meditation. One can hardly imagine that the capital city is a mere 5 minutes away. The only sound you can hear around the place is that of singing birds, your panting breath, and your feet beating on the ground.
I shared invites for my meetup all over social media, and on D-day I linked up with my girlfriend and my friend Esirom, who showed up at the venue. The place was teeming with throngs of people going around the tracks, and families on their outings with kids playing all over and teams of people in group activities. Nonetheless, we took the trip around on foot, and took loads of pics that you can see here. I also added some of my photos to Google Maps.
We took the 10km hike around the forest, and despite the harsh midday sun, the trees provided enough shade to make the trek bearable.
We also saw a bit of wildlife, including a herd of gazelles, and the monkey below. We weren’t fortunate enough to meet the infamous python that’s reportedly lurking around the place ?
Ultimately, the day was both fun and educative. I learned that despite being an established sanctuary, most of the trees at Karura are dying due to old age. One of the challenges they’re currently facing is replacement of the trees that are dying. This is by itself an achievement, considering the forest was once endangered due to deforestation.
You can organize to go plant some trees there by contacting the Friends of Karura Forest office
Forest conservation is a serious matter if we wish to combat the negative impacts of climate change. Plant a tree where you can, so it may provide shade for generations to come, and, more importantly, help restore balance to the earth’s climatic conditions.