Kindoroko Forest Part II

Some scattered rain comes through the mountains. 

View of the hills to the north-east of the Kindoroko forest. 

We had already taken a trip to Kindoroko Forest about a month ago though this time around we were much better prepared and more comfortable having navigated the environment before. Having experienced the large and unmarked nature of the forest, we not only came better prepared with a camera and GPS, but we also familiarized ourselves with the ecology and context of the mountains.

Kindorko Forest is situated in the North Pare mountains, which are part of the very old Eastern Arc mountain range. These mountains now contain fragmented patches of forest, high in endemic species and rich in biodiversity. Although the range is only about 50km south of Mt. Kilimanjaro it contains a completely different geology and ecology.

Kindoroko Forest is one of these patches with a total area of 885 hectares, (2,200 acres). The ecology is classified as Afromontane, which means it is cooler and wetter than the surrounding areas. Although it has a dry season, during the wet season it becomes a cloud forest with lichen and moss covering the trees and ground. There has been relatively little biodiversity research about this forest as a result of other forests in the Eastern Arc having more endemic species. Still, the North Pare mountains are a biodiversity hotspot.

View of the northside of the forest. 

A unique aspect of the North Pare forests is the traditional beliefs of the local people regarding them as sacred forests. There are typically two types of sacred forest: burial forests for communicating with ancestral spirits (mpungi) and sacred forests used to teach young men about culture and nature (mshitu). Along with the local beliefs, the forests are also government protected forest reserves, many of which are currently in the process of becoming officially recognized biodiversity hotspots by organizations such as IUCN and the WWF.

This map shows the northern part of Kindoroko Forest, as well as our route. The star at the top is Usangi at 1350m (4,500 ft) . Following it south there is another star, the junction form the "main" road to the house where the trail head is (1738m (5,700 ft.). Then there is the last star in the forest where the trail begins and the route ends at the peak of Kindoroko at 2120m (7,000 ft). 

We started our journey from Usangi located at 1350m (4,500 ft), the first star on the top of the map above. We attempted to find a new route into the forest from the one we took previously but after getting misled by a few opportunistic locals, we decided to head back to the house where we knew we could access the forest. After we got back from mapping the area we realized these people live in the middle of the northernmost tip of the forest reserve (the left-most star on the map at 1738m (5,700 ft)).

Seeing as we literally started on a trail behind these people's house, we had to walk about 15 minutes through semi-cleared agriculture until we reached a main trail. On the way there we heard the cries of Syke's monkeys, presumably biding their time before they raided the villagers crops. There is a basic aqueduct channeling water to pipes that run to the villages below and several small trails that veer off the main path. We decided to try to follow the paths going south in order to reach the depths of the forest. We figured that if we reached a dead end (which happened last time), we would at least have a GPS trail.

We lucked out and the first trail we took eventually took us to the summit. The walk was steep, covered in moss, and felt more like the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest of America than anything else. There were trees similar to the banyan trees of Southeast Asia. The trees sent out smaller vines that eventually rooted creating huge multi-trunked psychedelic trees covered in moss and lichen. The forest is one of the most beautiful and unique I have ever hiked in and although the trail was trodden often enough for an obvious path, there wasn't a sign of another human for miles. After hiking for a few hours we finally came upon a huge rock face that marked the peak of the forest at 2120m (7,000 ft).

One of the three trunks of a mysterious vine tree. It was difficult to get a picture in the dense forest. Sometimes these would be in large numbers creating a roof of entangled vines, appropriate housing for a hobbit or wizard. 

A rare glimpse of the sky through the thickness of the forest. 

The peak was the perfect place to have lunch as it was the only time in the whole hike that we could even see the sky. We were greeted with a spectacular view of Lake Jipe, which sits to the east of the mountains on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. We saw a Eurasian Hobby (falcon) sweep through the air and choose a perch on a dead tree very close to us. A pair of White-naped ravens investigated our presence and then perched even closer. Watching the birds fly at eye level was a treat considering that we usually only see them from the perspective far away below on the ground.

A look out over the mountains. 

View of Lake Jipe lake to the east. 

View of Lake Jipe. Also, check out the rain in the right side of the picture!

View of the northeast side of the Pare Mountains and plains. 

After lunch we headed back down, tired from the three and a half hour hike up. It took us considerably less time on the way down even with my persistent exploration and desire to see a vista looking west. In the end I figured we'd have to follow another trail and knowing that forest light can disappear fast, we played it safe and left it for another day. There was still so much forest south of the peak and we're hoping to keep exploring in the future!