Kakamega Forest is situated in Western Province Kenya, north-west of the capital Nairobi, and near to the border with Uganda. It is said to be Kenya's last remnant of the ancient Guineo-Congolian rainforest that once spanned the continent.
Including reserves, the forest encloses about 230 square kilometres, a little less than half of which currently remains as indigenous forest. There are numerous grassy clearings and glades. Large mammals are rare. Part of the forest also contain unique and rich highland ecosystems, but generally the fauna and flora of the Forest have not been comprehensively studied by science. The climate is very wet with over two metres of rain annually. The rainy seasons are April-to-May and August-to-September.
In the north of the Forest is the 4,468 hectares (45 km2; 17 sq mi) Kakamega National Reserve, given national forest reserve status in 1985. Just to the north is the Kisere Forest Reserve. Despite having protected status the Forest has continued to be damaged and degraded. The Forest Department and the Kenya Wildlife Service work to protect the forest. The local inhabitants are the Luhya people, who rely on the forest to supply most of their needs. The region is said to be one of the most densely-populated rural areas in the world, and pressure on the Forest resources is considerable. The German funded project BIOTA East has been working in the forest since 2001, whereby firstly forest inventories for all sorts of life forms were performed and the aim is to find strategies for a sustainable use of the forest until 2010.
The Southern part of Kakamega forest (Isecheno Forest station) run by Kenya forest service (KFS) is most accessible in Tourism. There is well known Mama Mtere tree, the historic tree and the most photographed tree in Kakamega forest. There is the strangler fics trees that has over 700 years in Isecheno forest reserve circuit. You can get accommodation there to enjoy the wildlife. People have conducted research in the area including the National Museums of Kenya. Birds is the biggest draw over 360 species has been recorded. The forest is also rich in plant and its medicinal, Butterflies, Primates and nocturnal animals.
The major A1 road runs down the western edge of the area.
Famous quotes containing the word forest:
“The forest of Compiegne. Look at it. Like a kind grandmother dozing in her rocking chair. Old trees practicing curtsies in the wind because they still think Louis XIV is king.”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)