Kakamega Forest Reserve

Things to do
Guides
Travel Companies

The Kakamega Forest Reserve is an example of what’s left of the rainforest that used to stretch across central Africa.

On a walking safaris here you will see bird and primate life that has more in common with the forests of Uganda and the Congo than anything else you’ll have seen in Kenya.

You can spend time here hiking, camping and rock climbing, and with over 350 species of birds here, it’s a great place to spot grey parrots, vieillot's black weavers and black-and-white-casqued hornbills.

Located northwest of Nairobi in Kakamega and Nandi County, Kakamega Forest Reserve is accessible by car. You can hire a car or taxi, taking about six hours from Nairobi.

Hidden gems in Kakamega Forest Reserve

Kakamega Forest Reserve

Kenya’s safari hidden gem

Stuart Butler

Place

Just north of the equator in far western Kenya, is Kakamega Forest — Kenya’s only tropical rainforest. The land here is wet, green and intensely cultivated with a mix of subsistence farming and large tea estates. In amongst all this though are a few pockets of the dense rainforests that once covered large parts of western Kenya. The Kakamega Forest Reserve is a fine example of this kind of forest and interesting walking safaris here reveal bird and primate life that has more in common with the forests of Uganda and the Congo than anything you’ll see on safari in Kenya. Wander the forest’s network of trails and take in the huge variety of flora and fauna it supports, including hundreds of bird species, some of which are not found anywhere else. In my opinion, Kakamega is one of the most delightful places in Kenya, but yet hardly any tourists know of its existence. It should be a must visit for any ornithologist or herpetologist. As well as birds, reptiles and primates, I found the visit to the old mine shaft to look for bats especially memorable.

View all 1 Kakamega Forest Reserve experiences

Kakamega Forest Reserve travel guides

Article

Decolonising African travel—and travel writing

Mazuba Kapambwe

Travel writing in Africa has always been an overwhelmingly white affair. Early accounts from 19th century explorers like Henry Morton Stanley and fiction writers like Joseph Conrad depicted Africa as uncivilised, mysterious and barbaric, reflecting the racist attitudes that underpinned European empire building.