KARURA FOREST GUIDE

To many, the mention of Karura Forest brings out a picture of a forest in the middle or outskirts of the city, with shrubs, bushes, streams, waterfalls, and many trees. All is true, but to me, there is more to it.

Karura Forest is a home to nature lovers and hiking enthusiasts.

About Karura Forest

Karura Forest is located in Nairobi Kenya with main entrances located along Kiambu road, Limuru Road and Sigiria entrance along Thigiri Lane. It is  Managed, developed, protected, and taken care of by the Kenya Forest Service and Friends of Karura Forest, which is a community passionate about growing, conserving, and protecting the forest.

The forest is approximately 1041 hectares (2570 acres) with three major parts separated by Limuru and Kiambu roads.  Karura has 200  species of bird, including Suni, bush babies, squallers, fruit birds, and porcupines.

This wide coverage makes the forest suitable for hiking, cycling, picnics, yoga, dog walking, educational purposes, and bird watching.

Location and Direction Of Karura Forest

Nairobi city is served by parks and hiking trails inside the city and outskirts of the city. Including Uhuru Park, Oloolua Forest, and the Arboretum hiking trail, just to mention a few. For hiking enthusiasts, joggers, and explorers, Karura Forest offers a wider area to explore and enjoy different activities.

Karura Forest is easily accessible from Nairobi City by public means and private or personal means. Being a big forest, Karura Forest has many entrances with four main entrances.

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1. Karura forest-Sigiria

It is located along Thigiri Ridge Road. It is easily accessible using a private vehicle or a cab. This side of the forest is not crowded. It has 5km and 10km trails that are ideal for walking, cycling, and dog walking. However, you should check Karura dog walking regulations.

2. Karura Forest Gate A

It is along Limuru Road, near the United States Embassy and next to the United Nations headquarters. Approximate 7.7 Km from Nairobi City Center.

3. Karura Forest gate C

It is opposite Sharks Place, along Kiambu Road, a few kilometers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and it’s also near Muthaiga. It’s accessible by all the public transport using Kiambu Road.

4. Karura Forest gate D

It is opposite the US Embassy. It usually serves as a pedestrian lane.

From Nairobi CBD there are matatu one can board to Karura forest, Kiambu road. There are buses outside Quickmart along Tom Mboya Street that take the Kiambu road route.

Activities In Karura Forest

1.  Hiking and walking trail

Karura Forest is an ideal place for a peaceful nature walk, jogging, group runs, and dog walks.

All the junctions along the trails are numbered making it super easy to navigate. For joggers, the trails have color codes with different colors representing different distances. 5km yellow,10km blue, 15km green. These colors are also helpful in tracking oneself and knowing what distance one can cover.

2. Dog Walking

There is a newly designated area for dog walking. A 1.5 dog-off leash where you free your dog. However, you should ensure your dog is not violent or aggressive.

To walk your dog in the forest, you should register it with the Friends of Karura Forest, with a photo of the dog and the vaccination certificate.

There are guidelines put in place for dog walking; the dog must have a card and should be currently vaccinated with the yearly rabies vaccination.

1. Cycling paths In Karura

There are three trails and bike depots;

• Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust (KFEET) grounds are accessible through gate A, Limuru Road.
• There is a rental point along gate C Kiambu Road.
• Off Thigiri Ridge Road Gate F.

The bikes are hired for 2 hours for ksh 580, which is a current rise from ksh 500. When renting one, you are required to leave your national identity card with the bike shed staff and also sign a disclaimer form.

This is for the safety of the bikes. The cycling areas are the northern part of the forest, which is a 12km track, and another track is from the Sharks Gate C. The cycling trails are always marked for easier access. There is etiquette practiced by the cyclist for the safety of the joggers and hikers where one has to shout they are coming for those who can’t hear the hoots.

2. Picnic areas in Karura Forest

 Picnics in the forest have to be strictly packed food or snacks, and no cooking, grilling, or roasting since open fire is not allowed. For picnics, reservations are made during holidays and weekends, and no reservations during weekdays since there are few people there during weekdays. The reservations are made a day before through the email [email protected]. Failure to they go with the basis of first come first served.

Picnics have designated areas: near the KFEET center, the Amani Garden, Ruaka Swamp, Sigiria near the obstacle course, and Karura Garden Kiambu Road.

3. Education programs and tour

Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust was established in 2010 by a consortium convened by the Friends of Karura Forest. It will oversee and provide an environmental education center for learning about ecosystems. The program and activities are; 1, International programs for students in international schools.

2, CBC (Competence Based Curriculum)Educational program, which caters to science studies, environmental education, and agriculture. They provide an environment for the students in the Competence Based Curriculum to do practical environmental-related studies they learn in class.

3, CBC (Competence Based Curriculum)Outreach; they support students to visit the forest by offering them transport to and from, free entry, and lunch to the students. These students help to plant trees and take care of seedlings, where they learn in the process.[2]  This is a form of mentorship to have future partners who will take care of the forest in the future

4 Bird watching and wildlife

Karura Forest is rich in bird species. For bird watching, the best time is early in the morning, 6 am- around 8 am, and in the evening from 6 pm. Some of the species that you should look out for are African crowned eagles, white-backed ducks, African black ducks, and- grey-crowned cranes, among others. Walking around the forest calls for a good camera to capture the birds and the beautiful scenery. Birding watching does not have a season. Birds are there throughout all seasons, timing is the only key requirement.

The indigenous plant species like trees, bushes, and shrubs are home to different types of animals. Some of the species are the syke monkey, Guereza colobus monkey, bushbucks, bushbabies, bush pigs, bush squirrels, and slender mongoose. The forest is home to over 200 species; therefore, one cannot miss them along the trails.

Karura Forest Pricing and Charges

There is an entrance fee

Karura Entrance Fee

Karura Forest Parking Charges

There are designated parking areas near the entrances.

There are bicycles for renting at the entrance which are rented at KES580 for two hours. For security purposes, one is required to leave their national identity card with the shed keeper and sign a disclaimer form.

There are guided tours and scouts around the forest. One can get a tour guide at a fee. The tour guide fee is exclusive of forest entry and parking fees. There are different types of tour guide sessions;

There are general tours which are a two-hour tour. It involves a tour of the wildlife sector, vegetation around the forest, and bird watching and bird types.

 Specialized tours; which is for special interest groups for educational purposes and research purposes.

There is the exclusive type (VIP), which is usually on a personal basis or a small group of people.

Visiting Hours and Best Time to Visit

Karura forest opens at 6 am and closes at 6 pm. One ought to go early to have time for the different activities. Bird watching, jogging, and dog walking need to be done early. The last entries are at 5:45 pm.

Karura Forest is a place one can visit anytime and any season; it is an all-season tourist destination site, but the best time to visit the forest is from September to December. September is always summer, but from October, with the change in weather, it alternates from summer to winter. During the rainy season is also advisable to go for a walk to experience the brown-coloured streams and a beautiful view of the waterfalls.

Nearby Amenities Near Karura

There are amenities around, like Amani Garden Café, which is inside the forest and serves as an eatery point. There is a coffee shop at the Sigiria entrance where one can get a snack after a walk around the forest.

There are malls nearby, like the Westgate Mall and Ridgeway Mall along Kiambu Road. There is a Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Luna Park International near Karura Forest gate C, Kiambu Road. Along Limuru Road Gate A entrance, there is the United States Embassy and the United Nations headquarters.

Sustainability and Convesevations Efforts

Karura Forest is managed, developed, and taken care of by the Kenya Forest Service. Which is a body responsible for taking care of forest and forest resources in Kenya. The Friends of Karura Forest are also partners, which is a community of Kenyans and nature lovers who collaborate to protect, conserve, and inform people about all they need to know about the forest.

 The FKF community has a nursery near Amani Garden, where they have over 100000 indigenous seedlings from different tree and shrub species. This is in the mission to restore Karura to an indigenous ecosystem.

No littering around the forest. People are encouraged to carry water in reusable water bottles instead of disposable water bottles. To protect the animals from plastic pollution, people are encouraged to bring snacks packed in lunch boxes and to make sure they carry with them all the plastic bags they bring with them. There are designated areas for picnics to avoid pollution everywhere and to easily manage the waste they bring along with them.

Tips For Visiting Karura Forest

Like any vocational trip, some things are a must to carry. Starting with the attire one should wear light and flexible shoes for walking and jogging. Some areas are sloppy and slippery; therefore, a good shoe is advisable. Flexible clothes because of hiking, doing yoga, or cycling.

One should also carry a bottle of water, enough water to stay as hydrated as possible. Maps are sold at the entrance for KES200 this will enable one to navigate easily around the forest.

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