Destination Overview
One of Nairobi, Kenya's capital city's suburb forests is called Karura Forest. The Kenya Forest Service, in collaboration with the Friends of Karura Forest, manages Karura Forest, which first gained attention in 1932. North of the city's center, Karura Forest is surrounded by the communities of Muthaiga, Gigiri, Runda, Ridgeway's, Peponi, and New Muthaiga. The Sigiria Forest, which includes more exotic tree plantations, is another name for the forest's western region. The largest of Nairobi's three primary gazetted urban woods, Karura Forest is 1063.0 hectares in size. The Nairobi Arboretum, which situated in the middle of Nairobi, is significantly smaller than the nearby Ngong Forest and Oloolua Forest. Nature pathways in the Karura forest are clearly signposted and kept up. Five tributaries of the Nairobi River pass through Karura Forest: Ruaka River which separates Karura River and the Runda Residential area.
Birding in the Karura forest is done on foot, which is a relaxing and effective approach to get closer to nature. The Karura forest is home to more than 200 different bird species, and due to its peace and quiet, it is possible to have multiple close encounters with wonderful forest birds. You can manage to record and view close to a hundred colorful and intriguing species during a two-hour birding stroll in the Karura forest.
African Black Duck, African Emerald Cuckoo, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Paradise Flycatcher, Grey-crowned Cranes, Spot-flanked Barbet, Singing Cisticola, African Goshawk, African Crowned Eagle, Augur Buzzard, Brown-chested Alethe, Narina Trogon, Long Crested Eagle, White-backed Duck, Malachite Kingfisher, Hartlaub's Turaco, and White-headed Barbet. A secretive bird found in bogs, swamps, and marshes called a Red-chested Flufftail has just been heard in the wetland close to KFEET. The planting of more native trees in areas that formerly contained exotic species has been blamed for the increase in bird sightings over the past ten years. With our knowledgeable guide, a two-hour birding excursion in the Karura forest can produce more than 100 bird species.
