Kakamega Forest is the only remnant on Kenya of the once great tropical rainforest that stretched across Central Africa. During the long Pleistocene period great climatic changes occurred throughout the world where dense rain forests stretched from West Africa, across Central Africa and into the highland areas on the west and eastern walls of the Great Rift Valley. In 1923, gold was discovered in parts of the forest and the…

On 29th March 2019 at 1400 hours, Fort Hall at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) was filled to capacity; all the seats on the lower deck fully occupied, some participants opted to seat on the steps of the terrace as they eagerly waited for the launch of the Kenya Women Birders (KWB). Whispers and murmurs filled the room as participants from Kenya and Uganda interacted prior to the start…

The flight from Nairobi to Kisumu was breathtaking, the aerial views of the Great Rift valley system and lake shores was magical. Upon arrival at the Kisumu International Airport, our guide and taxi drove us to the Luanda Kotieno beach which took about one and a half hours. We waited at the lounge and when the ferry arrived it took us about 45minutes to get to Mbita. One of the…

Kaya Kinondo is one of the Mijikenda sacred forests spread out over the coastal stretch of Kenya. The kaya is located in Kinondo location, Msambweni District in Kwale County and is about 30 minutes drive from Ukunda town. Kaya Kinondo forest covers approximately 30 hectares of low-lying coral with varied ecosystem, consisting of about 187 plants and 48 birds and was gazetted as a national monument in 1992. After exchanging…

Excitement was in the air as we left Nairobi for Nyeri, the words Lé Pristine ran on everyone’s mouth and vast expectations were building as we approached Nyeri. In Nyeri, we met up with an old friend Kariuki who works at Lé Pristine as a guide and naturalist, and he was instrumental in guiding us to the new kid on the block in Nyeri. As we alighted our vehicle at…

The bay of Mida Creek expands across an area of 32km2. It comprises of different types of habitats that are influenced by the tide, for example mud and sand flats, open shallow waters and mangrove forests. In fact, Mida Creek is part of the most productive mangrove system in the world. For good reason, Mida Creek is recognized as an International Bird Area and together with Arabuko Sokoke Forest is…

I was delighted to be back at Kisumu Impala Sanctuary, and it truly did not disappoint. As we entered the gate, an African-pied Wagtail seemed to lead the way along the main path. We made a brief stopover to read the park rules and regulations and the ranger reminded us to adhere to them. A pair of hadada ibis seemed to announce our arrival as they flew to Albizia Picnic…

The ruins of Gede are relics of the one of the Arab-African settlements found along the East African coast. These towns were built by the Swahili people during the 13th and 14th century. Scientists suppose that at its peak of prosperity about 2,500 people lived in Gede. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr1Fxk5P21w[/embed] There are still various theories as to why the town was abandoned during the 16th or 17th century. However, after Gede was…

Kenya's west coast is an area of great geographic, cultural and natural diversity. It offers visitors a diverse range of tourist products blend together to create this magical region of Kenya. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaDbsE9__08[/embed] Lake Victoria is the largest freshwater lake in Africa and second largest freshwater lake in the world. John Hanning Speke was the first European to discover the lake and named it after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.…

Lake Bogoria is one of the lakes located along the Great Rift Valley that transects through Ethiopia, through Kenya and finally to Mozambique. Kenya lies under the Eastern Rift and the lakes located within the rift system tend to be shallow and contain high mineral content as due to evaporation. Lake Bogoria is one of the alkaline lakes on the rift that has been declared a wetland of international importance…