Ngare Ndare Forest

Ngare Ndare is a block of indigenous cedar and olive forest on Mount Kenya's northern slopes that functions as a wildlife corridor: elephants move through it between the mountain forest and the Lewa and Borana conservancies, and an underpass built beneath the highway lets them do so safely, one of the first structures of its kind in Africa. Inside the forest, the river cuts pools of an intense blue-green over pale rock, and swimming in them under a small waterfall is what most visitors come for. A canopy walkway runs for about four hundred and fifty metres through the treetops at around ten metres up, giving a view into the forest layers and, with luck, onto elephants below. The forest is community-managed through a trust, and its income supports the surrounding group ranches.

What you actually see

• The blue pools - turquoise river pools and a small waterfall for swimming.
• The canopy walkway - a suspended walk through the treetops.
• Indigenous forest - cedar and olive with elephant paths through it.
• The elephant corridor - the route linking mountain forest to the conservancies.

When to go

The dry seasons for the tracks and for swimming; the river is cold year-round at this altitude. Weekends bring families from Nanyuki and Nairobi. Elephants move through mainly at night and early morning.

Honest expectations

Access tracks are rough and 4x4 is advisable. Elephants are genuinely present and walking without a guide is not permitted in parts. The pools are cold and the rocks slippery. Facilities are basic, with camping rather than lodging. Booking ahead for the walkway is sensible at weekends.

Nearby

Lewa lies north; Nanyuki and Mount Kenya are southwest.