Karura Forest

Karura covers around a thousand hectares of indigenous and plantation forest inside Nairobi's northern suburbs, and it exists as public space largely because of a campaign in the 1990s led by Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement against attempts to allocate the land for development; the confrontations of that period, and Maathai's later Nobel Peace Prize, made Karura a symbol well beyond its trees. Today it is fenced, patrolled and busy, with more than fifty kilometres of trails used by runners, cyclists and walkers, a waterfall on the Karura river, caves used historically as hiding places, bamboo groves, a marsh and a small lake. Bushbuck, duikers, colobus monkeys, genets and around two hundred bird species live in it. Cafés at the main gates serve the weekend crowds.

What you actually see

• Forest trails - fifty kilometres of running, cycling and walking routes.
• The waterfall - a modest fall on the Karura river.
• The caves - rock shelters with a place in the forest's history.
• Wildlife in the city - bushbuck, colobus, genets and a long bird list.

When to go

Year-round; the forest is open daily and busiest at weekends when Nairobi families arrive. Weekday mornings are quiet and best for wildlife. Trails get muddy in the rains but remain usable.

Honest expectations

It is a city forest, not wilderness: expect other people, particularly at weekends, and traffic noise near the boundaries. Entry is charged and rates differ for residents and visitors. The waterfall is small. Some trails require a map or a phone, since the network is extensive.

Nearby

Nairobi city centre is south; the Giraffe Centre and Karen are on the other side of town.