By Kelvin Musikoyo
Nothing beats the chance for an idyllic get away from the fast paced city life than a trip down to Ngong Road forest sanctuary. Located only 6 kilometers from Nairobi city centre, it prides itself as one of the very few forests in the world that exists within a city. In our undying desire to explore nature, Uvumbuzi Club put together a hike and picnic to the magnificent Ngong forest sanctuary on Saturday the 9th of August 2014.
Located off Ngong road just before Ngong Race-course, the venue was easily accessible for members and guests of Uvumbuzi Club. One after the other they streamed in dressed for the occasion and in full hiking spirit. By 11:30am we were full house and all set for the hike, the cool August weather provided the perfect set up for hiking and we were rearing to go.
As we set off for the hike, one thing that struck us right from the outset was the “mugumo tree” in Kikuyu, English name known as the strangler fig tree, botanical name the “Fiscus Thonningiii” , its name resonates from its cunning characteristic of suffocating other tree species within its proximity. Our minds were blown away by this marvel of nature and yet we had barely scratched the surface. Without a shred of doubt we knew that this adventure would not disappoint.
The trail’s terrain was fairly easy, despite the scarce rains at the time, the trees were surprisingly green and the bushes were blooming with beautiful flowers. At this point the sun was shining through and the rays were piercing through the thick forest leaves, it was evident that we would break a sweat soon and at this point, the jackets were quickly tucked away to be swiftly replaced by hats.
The sight of a dik-dik darting across the nature trail was the smoking gun that the forest is home to wild animals, however this was of no safety concern to us as we were at all times sandwiched by a pair of gun wielding security guards dressed in full combat regalia. By all means we were in good hands.
As we journeyed deeper into the forest, the silence of the forest was bliss, apart from the occasional chirping of birds that cut across the quiet forest. One of my favorite parts of the trail was the African eagle’s nest. The African eagle is one of the largest eagle species, this majestic bird has a fierce reputation of killing animals as large as monkeys. We were nothing short of intrigued as we watched it circle its nest protectively perhaps warning us that any intrusion would not be welcomed. The nature trail was more than we expected and the buzzing excitement in everyone’s faces was clear to see. Chit-chatting as we strolled, stopping to take photos here and there and sharing snacks along the way made the trail enjoyable so much so that suggestions by our tour guide to take a breather, was quickly repulsed.
At this time the sun was scorching hot and I could tell from the reduced pace that some tired legs were kicking in, we carried on nonetheless. We went from ascends to descends, from the tiny footpaths to the wide trails, through the acacia trees, under the dense thickets, down and up the seasonal river bed which had dried up by then. By 3:30pm we had traversed much of the forest and our guides reassured us that we were almost at the trails end. I could read a sigh of relief on the tired faces when we got to the dam that marked the end of the trail, some were quick to find a vantage point beside the dam to enjoy its beautiful view and the cool breeze from the wind blowing on the surface of the water. The temptation to refresh our childhood memory of playing skipping rocks on the dam was too strong to resist.
The empty water bottles and now finished snacks were our cue to head back for a picnic lunch, the picnic site was an ultra modern architecture type building smack in the middle of the forest that had everyone genuinely fascinated. We enjoyed our picnic lunch capped with a bonding session and a tour around the beautiful picnic site. As the sun faded away and the evening set in, it served as our signal to leave.
This adventure was more than we could have ever expected, the visit to Ngong forest sanctuary provided memories that will burn bright for a long time to come. By all accounts, this refreshing experience left us wanting more and promising to come back for more.
We as Uvumbuzi would like to extend our profound gratitude to the management of Ngong forest sanctuary for this fun outing and learning experience as we look towards a future of greater partnership.
Located off Ngong road just before Ngong Race-course, the venue was easily accessible for members and guests of Uvumbuzi Club. One after the other they streamed in dressed for the occasion and in full hiking spirit. By 11:30am we were full house and all set for the hike, the cool August weather provided the perfect set up for hiking and we were rearing to go.
As we set off for the hike, one thing that struck us right from the outset was the “mugumo tree” in Kikuyu, English name known as the strangler fig tree, botanical name the “Fiscus Thonningiii” , its name resonates from its cunning characteristic of suffocating other tree species within its proximity. Our minds were blown away by this marvel of nature and yet we had barely scratched the surface. Without a shred of doubt we knew that this adventure would not disappoint.
The trail’s terrain was fairly easy, despite the scarce rains at the time, the trees were surprisingly green and the bushes were blooming with beautiful flowers. At this point the sun was shining through and the rays were piercing through the thick forest leaves, it was evident that we would break a sweat soon and at this point, the jackets were quickly tucked away to be swiftly replaced by hats.
The sight of a dik-dik darting across the nature trail was the smoking gun that the forest is home to wild animals, however this was of no safety concern to us as we were at all times sandwiched by a pair of gun wielding security guards dressed in full combat regalia. By all means we were in good hands.
As we journeyed deeper into the forest, the silence of the forest was bliss, apart from the occasional chirping of birds that cut across the quiet forest. One of my favorite parts of the trail was the African eagle’s nest. The African eagle is one of the largest eagle species, this majestic bird has a fierce reputation of killing animals as large as monkeys. We were nothing short of intrigued as we watched it circle its nest protectively perhaps warning us that any intrusion would not be welcomed. The nature trail was more than we expected and the buzzing excitement in everyone’s faces was clear to see. Chit-chatting as we strolled, stopping to take photos here and there and sharing snacks along the way made the trail enjoyable so much so that suggestions by our tour guide to take a breather, was quickly repulsed.
At this time the sun was scorching hot and I could tell from the reduced pace that some tired legs were kicking in, we carried on nonetheless. We went from ascends to descends, from the tiny footpaths to the wide trails, through the acacia trees, under the dense thickets, down and up the seasonal river bed which had dried up by then. By 3:30pm we had traversed much of the forest and our guides reassured us that we were almost at the trails end. I could read a sigh of relief on the tired faces when we got to the dam that marked the end of the trail, some were quick to find a vantage point beside the dam to enjoy its beautiful view and the cool breeze from the wind blowing on the surface of the water. The temptation to refresh our childhood memory of playing skipping rocks on the dam was too strong to resist.
The empty water bottles and now finished snacks were our cue to head back for a picnic lunch, the picnic site was an ultra modern architecture type building smack in the middle of the forest that had everyone genuinely fascinated. We enjoyed our picnic lunch capped with a bonding session and a tour around the beautiful picnic site. As the sun faded away and the evening set in, it served as our signal to leave.
This adventure was more than we could have ever expected, the visit to Ngong forest sanctuary provided memories that will burn bright for a long time to come. By all accounts, this refreshing experience left us wanting more and promising to come back for more.
We as Uvumbuzi would like to extend our profound gratitude to the management of Ngong forest sanctuary for this fun outing and learning experience as we look towards a future of greater partnership.