Kenya: Castle Forest on Mount Kenya (5th of 8 Posts)
Early February 2024
The south side of Mount Kenya is a gently sloping mega-shield volcano.
A green cultural landscape, some of it still clothed in native forest, protected within a National Park. There are many plantations of eucalypts which in my mind are a bit ugly, but the woodlands at Castle Forest are big and verdent, maybe recalling parts of the Big Island of Hawaii or Sri Lanka. And there are clean mountain streams seemingly everywhere!
We stayed at the rustic Castle Forest Lodge.
We birded and hiked around here for two days. First day we tried to find the famed Ford Falls (...see below). Due to eucalypt plantation logging, messed-up roads and paths and there were no signs. So we got lost, as did some visiting students from St Joseph's University. We hiked with the students, found some good birds along the way. We had a mervelous time, we stayed two nights, maybe we could have stayed one more.
Some things visitors should know:
There are buffalos and elephants in the area and you must definately be guided by a trained local guide. Even though its seems easy-going, low gradient walking, the distances are very long. We walked 17 kms the first day. Although we were told there are no buffalos we did see big cattle-like prints that were definately not cow prints in the forest. Also, a few elephant prints and fresh dung in the trail and by the river bridges (see map, below). Was this dangerous? Its a toss-up. I say next time I will have a hired guide.
Here I provide a few snapshots including:
Kikuyu White-eye (endemic to Central Kenya), White-starred Robin (shy forest bird), Double-collared Sunbird (two species present), Silvery-cheeked hornbill (a dinosaur!), Olive Ibis (a very rare forest river-bird, seen very well twice). Finally, I provide a topographic map to the Ford Falls which I photographed in the Lodge's office (thanks to Joseph...).
At the time there was no mobile phone coverage and the topographic maps was absolutly price-less. No google maps! And...we never reached Ford Falls (the photo of the falls below is not ours).
I want to see those falls. A reason to return!
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Ford Falls is about 3 hours uphill from Castle Forest Lodge. We did not reach it. We got lost. (This photo is from the internet; lost the credit source, sorry). Thanks to whoever got there and took the shot! And good luck to those who take on the challange. Better yet - take a guide from the hotel. (THIS is the only photo that is not my own in this and other posts on Kenya 2024).
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Local topomap showing the way to Ford Falls (marked "water falls") from Castle Forest Station (Castle Forest Lodge). The falls are on the Gothiba river about a three hour walk from the Castle Forest Lodge. The lighter thatched white patches are old tree plantations. The yellow line (which I have drawn in) is the approximate route to the falls. As you walk north you may see the tiny path just before the major fork before the tree plantation. However, as mentioned this area is potentially very dangerous because of losing your orientation; there were signs Elephants and Cape Buffalos when we were there. |
Refs and acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Joseph and Antony at the Lodge, all poeple there were truly wonderful hosts. Happy to meet Julia and Lavinia also. We will be back.
