The Kakamega Forest reserve covers about 240 square kilometres of dense canopy, broken into northern and southern blocks by a strip of farmland. It is small as African rainforests go — the Congo basin runs to hundreds of thousands of square kilometres — but in Kenya it is unique: a hot, humid, multi-storied evergreen forest in a country otherwise dominated by savannah and acacia bush. The biological accounting is dramatic. Over 380 species of bird have been recorded. There are seven primate species, including the eastern black-and-white colobus, the blue monkey, and the de Brazza's monkey. Butterflies have been recorded in the hundreds of species — more than in most national parks ten times the size.
The practical way to see it is on foot, with a guide, from one of the entry stations. Birdwatchers come for the great blue turaco and the African grey parrot. Walkers come for the canopy walks, the small clearings where colobus monkeys feed at first light, and the constant background of forest sound — birdcall, insects, the gentle creak of mahogany trees moving in the wind. Mornings and late afternoons are best for wildlife. Plan at least one full day in the forest, and ideally two or three to see both blocks.