Kakamega Forest, Protected rainforest in Western Kenya

Kakamega Forest is a rainforest in Western Kenya that covers thousands of hectares and varies in elevation depending on location. The area is crossed by several rivers and contains different habitats that support a wide range of plant and animal life.

Kakamega Forest Reserve was designated in 1933 and covers 178.38 km². In 1967 the Isecheno and Yala (Lirhanda) nature reserves were established within it. The Kakamega National Reserve, 44.7 km², was created in 1985 from the northern part of the forest reserve and the Kisere Forest Reserve. Around 1900 the forest covered 240,000 hectares; today only about 23,000 hectares remain.

Local residents collect firewood, building poles and traditional medicines in the forest, and cattle graze in some of the grassy glades. The area around Kakamega is one of the most densely populated rural regions in the world, so pressure on these resources is considerable. The Kakamega Rainforest Tour Guides, a local group, lead village walks and trips to the Crying Stone at Ilesi.

The southern section at Isecheno Forest station offers marked hiking trails and opportunities to observe wildlife. Local guides are available to help visitors navigate safely through the woodland.

Kakamega Forest is Kenya's only tropical rainforest and the easternmost outpost of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest that once spanned equatorial Africa. Of the roughly 240,000 hectares present around 1900, only about 23,000 hectares remain. Nine orchid species and at least nine bird species are found nowhere else.