Kakamega Forest National Reserve

Kakamega Forest is located in Western Kenya, 15km from Kakamega town along the Kakamega-Eldoret Highway. It covers an area of about 240km2, and lies in the Lake Victoria catchment, about 50km north of Kisumu and just West of the Nandi Escarpment that forms the edge of the central highlands. In 1985, nearly 4400ha of the northern portion of the forest together with the adjacent Kisere Forest were gazetted as Kakamega Forest National Reserve. It has annual rainfall of over 2000mm mostly between April and November. Rain falls mostly in the afternoon or early evening.

However; it has a short dry season from December to March. The forest holds mostly indigenous vegetation for example the precious Elgon teak, much prized for its hard wood, the stranglers  which grow from other trees and eventually strangle the hosts to death, and mkombero, a popular affrodiasc. Large age-old trees are in plenty and found particularly in Kisere forest. The forest contains many species found nowhere else in the country. This is the place of choice for bird and butterfly watchers. Being such a food rich reserve habitat, the park supports over 300 bird species, over 350 species of trees and 27 species of snakes…

The forest is also home to over 400 species of butterflies, reptiles, mollusks and 7 primate species. The forest is also home to the endangered DeBrazza monkey, majestic black and white colobus monkey alongside flying squirrels, blue monkey and potto. Forest bucks, duikers and dik diks are found in this equatorial rain forest. Other forest mammals include; bush pigs grey duikers, civets, Sunnis, clawless otters and some fascinating nocturnal game.