North Mt. Kilimanjaro: Rongai Forest II

Naleimoru River

This weekend we took a trip up to the north side of Mt. Kilimanjaro to a place called Rongai Forest. Most tourists would know the area as one of the trailheads for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. The “Rongai route” starts just outside the town of Rongai at 2,000m (6,400 ft). There are several large government run pine tree plantations (mainly pinus patula), though there are two rivers that run through the area in which the original montane forest zone displays its beauty. It's quite demonstrative of the conflicts between people and conservation as the boundary between the national park and public land is dramatic and the pine plantations impressive yet sterile.

Snowcap Lodge guesthouse

It takes around 2 1/2 hours to reach Snowcap Lodge, a basic yet pleasant guesthouse. The grounds are very well manicured and surrounded on two sides by a pine plantation. The trailhead and ranger station for the Rongai route are on one of the sides as well. The area is quiet and somewhat scenic with some nice views of the Kenyan lowlands. There are likely nice views of Mt. Kilimanjaro but the weather is typically foggy and cold so it can be difficult to see.

We had come to the area once before with our bird club and we knew a trail along one of the rivers we could go on a hike. If we hadn't known of this trail we would have likely settled either walking through farmland or pine plantations. Although they can be nice for a stroll, they feel a bit sterile compared with the more diverse undisturbed biodiversity.  There are massive areas where trees have been harvested and locals extract firewood and grow a few crops on the acidic soil.

We enjoyed the weekend out as the change of elevation (it was COLD!) and the river walk was quite pleasant. It's unfortunate that if you want to hike through the natural ecology of Mt. Kilimanjaro, it would require a $70 USD park fee to access it!

Recently cleared area with plantation in background.

Along the river.

Kenyan lowlands in the morning.

Crazy banana like ornamental plant.

The flower had bees very busy inside!