1. From Nairobi: Karura Forest Nature Hike
Begin the tour with morning pickup from your hotel in Nairobi. Enter the forest and begin your hiking or biking experience. Your guide will explain the different species of trees and birds, as well as the sights and sounds of the park. The walking trails all offer superb scenery and are clearly marked and color-coded by length, either eight, six, or three miles. The biking trails runs around 7.5 miles. Wander through verdant forest areas, past waterfalls, caves, and wetlands. There are numerous picnic benches within the park, where you can sit down to cool off. Also within the reserve are many areas of interest, both historical and ecological. For example, the Central Bank was once home to an incinerator which destroyed decommissioned currency during the 1990s, and you can still see the old chimney. The Mau-Mau freedom fighters used the sacred caves on the reserve as hideouts, and Lily Lake is the site of an abandoned quarry.