Kenyan forest opens to tourists

Residential and commercial plan thwarted by conservationists including Wangari Maathai

Visitors to Kenya now have the freedom to explore Karura Forest, something that would not have been possible had plans for residential and commercial developments in the forest a few years ago come to fruition.

Through a partnership between the Kenya Tourist Board and Kenya’s Forest Service, Karura Forest has been opened to the public as a tourist attraction. Visitors can now enjoy various sights in the forest, including the Mau Mau caves, a 50-metre waterfall and a bamboo forest, in addition to hiking trails and picnic spots. The forest also contains a camp facility for visitors.

Conservationists, including 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, have carried out extensive campaigns to save this unique forest from being levelled to make way for residential and commercial estates. Numerous protests over the years to save the forest eventually paid off and housing plans were shelved due to lack of support from the public.

More recently, Kenya’s Minister of Environment, Newton Kulundu, denied a US investor a permit to build a hotel in the forest. Realising that their plans to develop the area would also be refused, other developers began to relinquish their properties in the forest.

Said Kenya Tourist Board’s Regional Marketing Manager, Fred Okeyo: "Karura Forest has a tumultuous history and was at risk on a number of occasions of being bulldozed by developers. Thanks to the brave and unwavering efforts of conservationists and the new government, it now stands proud as one of Kenya’s must-see tourist attractions."

Karura Forest is now developed as a visitor’s attraction. This includes creation of nature trails [26]. The first trail, which is four kilometres long and connects Limuru Road with Old Kiambu Road was opened in May 2009 [6]. An electric fence is being built around the forest for security reasons [27].
The Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust was formed in 2010, and launched by the minister of Forestry Noah Wekesa. It will manage an environmental education centre located in Karura Forest .

The Nairobi northern bypass road, under construction since 2009, was to pass through a wetland which is said to feed Karura Forest, thus posing a threat to the forest.

Karura Forest has an area of 1 063.0 ha, making it largest of three main gazetted forests in Nairobi. The others are Ngong Forest and Ololua Forest. The centrally located Nairobi Arboretum is much smaller

Features in the forest include a waterfall, bamboo forest, marshland, Mau Mau caves and an old church .

The United Nations Office at Nairobi and UNEP headquarters are located adjacent to the forest. The Karura Forest Product Research Centre is also located there.

Valere Tjolle
Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite – special offers HERE