Ngare Ndare Forest

The Ngare Ndare Forest is an indigenous forest at the foothills of Mt. Kenya with two main tree species, African Olive and Red Cedar. Some of the trees in the forest are hundreds of years old. We were recommended to come to the Ngare Ndare Forest by a local guide who promised us we would not be disappointed.

All visitors to Ngare Ndare are required to be escorted by a ranger. Michael was assigned to us and he was armed with a very large gun. RY and DY were awestruck by the gun and couldn’t stop staring at it. Michael said the gun was to ensure our safety against wild animals, mainly elephants that roam freely within the forest.

We took a 3.5 km hike that wove through indigenous woodland forests. David, our Maasai guide who is more used to the savanna, really enjoyed it. To our surprise, he was also extremely knowledgeable about trees, vegetation and animal tracks in the forest. Together, he and Michael, showed us the Strangler Fig (Ficus thonningii) that we later saw can grow to a huge size by latching onto a host tree and smothering it to death.  They showed us the twisted trunk of the Brown Olive tree that twists as it grows. They taught us how to track elephants by their dung and footprints.

Soon, we could hear the sound of water and descended down to a small creek. We crossed over some river stones and again over a fallen tree which led us to the most amazing sight. Before us was a turquoise pool with water from Mount Kenya trickling in several streams before joining together as a pounding waterfall. We had only seen this kind of thing in pictures before or most recently in Jiuzhaigou National Park, but we weren’t actually aloud to touch the water. Here, we were allowed not only to touch the water but we were invited to dive in.

The water was freezing cold but after our picnic lunch, Leo and the kids bravely went in. RY and DY loved it the most, frolicking in the icy water and letting the waterfall pound over their heads. We were so pleased that David agreed to go in for a swim. He doesn’t know how to swim, in fact this was only his second time swimming. He put on the life jacket that Michael brought along. He had a huge smile glued to his face as he floated around in the pool. Leo beckoned him over to the waterfall and because of the trust established between these two adventurous, good-natured men from very different backgrounds, with a little coaxing, he followed Leo and the boys into the waterfall for an unforgettable experience.

We hiked back toward the entrance where the longest canopy walk in East Africa awaited. The 450 meter canopy walk that is suspended about 10 meters off the ground gave us a new perspective of Ngare Ndare. At first, EY was very cautious and fearful to walk on her own. After the first 50 meters, she was walking on the wire mesh bridge as if it were no different than a sidewalk. There will always be fear of the unknown and the unfamiliar. The more we are willing to venture forth and try, the more we realize what we are truly capable of.

We weren’t lucky enough to see any elephants roaming on the forest-floor but we were grateful to end this special day at Ngare Ndare in the presence of massive Fig trees that have been standing guard in this indigenous forest for centuries before today and will continue their watch for centuries after.