PLACES TO VISIT: KARURA FOREST

Hi all!! Travel is one of my passions. I've always wanted to visit new places and learn new things. One of my resolutions this year is to take time out to visit different parts of Kenya. And then I will share the posts with you. My first Places to Visit post is on my trip to Karura Forest.

A little history about the forest:

Karura Forest is located in Nairobi. Several tributaries of the Nairobi River flow through the forest. The forest is managed by the Kenya Forest Service and when there were threats to use parts of the forest to put up housing, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai working through her Green Belt Movement, put up a fight to protect the forest and hence one of the city's water catchment areas. And in that way, one of our most important indigenous forests was saved from encroachment.

My Experiences from the Trip:

I went to Karura before the weather became cold and rainy. Although it was very hot that time of year, once inside the forest, it was so cool and the air so clean that I thought the weather had taken a turn for the better. It was so quiet and serene, I had to relax. You can choose to take either the 5, 10 or 15 km trail. I took the 10km trail and was nice and exhausted afterwards.

Although I'm not a huge nature fan, I enjoyed the greenery and and the sound of the water rushing down the river and waterfalls.

Cotton Tree

Under growth

On the bridge crossing the river

The River

At the waterfalls

Close-up of the waterfalls

I think this was a Mugumo tree

Enjoying a ride on the vines

A useful tip for anyone planning to pay a visit to Karura Forest, make sure you wear very comfortable shoes and carry plenty of water. If you are carrying a backpack or any other sort of bag, keep the contents limited to ensure that you have minimal extra weight to lag around.

Taking a break from the long walk

At the lake

Have you visited Karura Forest yet? If not would you like to go? Let me know of your experiences in the comments.

Happy Saturday!!!

Audrey

For blog updates follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin

A labour of love: Long days, bee stings and a global premiere

“Amkeni” roughly translates to “Rise Up” in Kiswahili. This is the call of Chambuko Amkeni, a community-led conservation group involved in mangrove restoration and protection. In 2025, I had the honour of working with them to document their journey on women’s leadership in coastal and marine conservation, climate change adaptation and the blue economy, for a collaboration between Mission inclusion and the BBC StoryWorks' for the Living Legacy Series . This was my first time working on a project of this magnitude not to mention one that would have a global audience. To say this has been one of the highlights of the last two years is an understatement. Just thinking about it, my heart swells with pride. I feel like a mother watching her baby grow and come of age (please don't tell my daughter this!). With members of the Chambuko Amkeni Group Leading the production of Amkeni with my amazing colleagues was a true labour of love. A vision come to life thanks to the support o...

Rediscovering myself

A few blog posts ago I alluded to struggles I'd been facing for a few years now. I said that I would address these issues here soon but honestly, I didn't know when would be a good time. So I thought that today is as good a day as any. Last year I was diagnosed with trauma. It had been years in the making, a result of an emotionally abusive relationship and years of challenging events with seemingly no respite in sight. Although I had eventually gotten out of the relationship, I had unconsciously allowed this person's opinions of me become so ingrained in me that I had lost all knowledge of my former self. I lacked self-confidence. I blamed myself for many things that had happened in my life. I was perpetually sad and struggled to find even the smallest things to smile about. I had no motivation to do even those things that I loved. I would take photos and see my smiling face but deep down I knew that was just a front. I was broken, a shell of my former self. Now I'm no...

Blogging Challenge Day 13 | 5 Ways I Learned To Be Happy (No Matter The Circumstances)

Like everybody else, I began this year on a very positive note. I hoped for a better year than I had had in 2017. I had a plan that I laid out and I was determined to accomplish a lot of what was on my 2018 list. I once heard someone say that sometimes you plan and it doesn't work out not because you haven't put in enough effort but because God has other plans for you. So the first three months of 2018 were completely upside down for me. Everything seemed to be going wrong. I won't lie to you and tell you that I carried on happy in spite of everything that wasn't working. I struggled to smile, to wake up in the morning, to face my day, to be around people. However, I was determined to find lasting happiness. I wanted to find a way that would ensure that I remained happy even when life seemed to be going against me. I did my research and tried out a few things and found the 5 ways listed below that I have now been putting into practice for the last four or so month...

Grounded Narratives

Search This Blog