By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
MY EXPERIENCE WITH ECOLOGY We have just graduated from a Kenya Scouting Preliminary Training Course . Graduates of such a course have to take a picnic before embarking on their daily duties. We have decided to go for a nature walk at Mount Elgon Forest. It is 8:00 am, we are all set with our backpacks to ascend the steep slopes of the mountain.Our Google Maps indicate that we turn left after trekking for seven kilometres to our first destination. The Flora and Fauna along the narrow ragged paths is amazing. We pass through a dense montane bushy land mixed with heavily set bamboo belts. On top of the tall forest trees are several patches of Golden Winged and Tocazze Sunbirds singing seductively with pleasure, probably inviting willing partners for mating. The higher we ascend, the colder it gets. We put on heavy jackets and hiking boots. Safe for the chatter of naughty Blue Monkeys from the forest, the atmosphere is dumb. Upwards, I notice that illegal loggers sneaked into the forest and brought down five mature Elgon Teak trees. If I grow up, I will study forestry and enlighten the public about the relevance of environmental conservation. Our patrol leader takes photos of the lonely tree stumps and promises to report the matter to the relevant authority. Nekesa complains of leg cramps. I help her lie on the velvet grass and massage her legs gently until she feels better. At some point, forest climbers are closely interwoven. Wafula and Nanjekho seem to be very tired. Their digital camera has shut down.Its battery charging system is solar-enabled but the canopy above us has barred away the sunrays. Occasionally, we bend low and crawl to avoid being hurt by the claw-sharp thorns in the thickets. The darkness in the forest is rather intensive. One cannot distinguish day from night. We are depending on flashlights to move. We are finally at the Chelebei Waterfalls. The falls have existed for over two hundred years. They were formed as a result of a volcanic eruption that gave rise to Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano. The scenery at the falls is amazing! The burbling water droplets drift and settle on our wet faces pleasantly. The heat in our bodies drastically drops.The water is clean and extremely cold, a typical representation of an untamed nature. I scoop the water with my cupped palms and sprinkle it on my face as the guide approaches. The tour guide is a soft-spoken lady of thirty years or so. From her talk, we discover that she has a lot of experience working in the forestry department. She looks beautiful in her neat jungle green warden uniform. She trains us how to swing on the fun ropes at the falls without hurting ourselves. It is an hour later and almost all of us have painful blisters after holding unto the swing ropes tightly for long. We are finally at the famous Mount Elgon National Park. It is midday, the glimmers of the sunrays are powerfully penetrating to the always moist ground. The wardens usher us into the park delightedly after paying the mandatory Ksh100 entrance fee. Two hundred metres from the entrance, we meet Sarah, the oldest elephant in the park. We learn that Sarah was born ninety years earlier at the Tsavo National Park but was relocated here to secure her from ravenous poachers. We also view the giraffes, buffaloes and hungry hyenas at other parts of the park. A troop of cheeky Blue Monkeys emerge from the bush and queue in readiness for us: they are used to receiving gifts from tourists.Suddenly, our guide receives a radio call from the control unit, we should change direction. The cubs are out of their cage. We go west. We meet a herd of shy zebras feasting on juicy green grass. With their numerous calves, they form a cute black and white kaleidoscope. Surrounding us is a unique open moorland studded with giant lobelia trees and several groundsel plants.We learn that the Podocarpus gracilior forest and Hagenia abyssinica varieties of trees are a good source of traditional medicine. The adventure has been a great one. To love nature is to love life.