The Aberdare Forest will be opened for hikers as Murang’a and the state develop the region’s tourism potential.
The county has
partnered with Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service to open up the forest for hiking.
We have missed the opportunity thus far because we did not have a tourists’ path into the Aberdares and that is what we are starting now,” KFS county warden Muiruri Njoroge said.
County officials and tens of hikers on Saturday took a 23km maiden hike into the forest, up to Elephant Point through the Gatare route.
Njoroge said tourists pass through Murang’a on their way to Nanyuki and Mt Kenya Forest because the county’s tourism potential remains unexploited.
He said the forest is a home to many animals, including elephants, buffaloes and antelopes. He said tourists must be accompanied by KFS or KWS officers.
He said the two departments have been working hard to eliminate subsistence poaching in the forest and said farmers sustain their families from agriculture without interfering with the forest.
He said tourists will have to pay to venture into the forest and part of the fees will be used for conservation.”Tourism will spark the local economy that depends on tea and improve the livelihood of locals,” Muiruri said.
County Tourism director Moses Muhindi said the venture was long overdue to showcase the beauty, serenity and opportunities of the county. It iscloser to Nairobi than many other attractions.
“The forest will offer an experience different from other available hiking routes,” Muhindi added.
The county government has identified several tourism areas to be developed, including the Gatare forest, as part of the Mt Kenya Tourism circuit.
It is said that several investors plan to set up hotels to cater for many tourists visiting the forest.
Two years ago the county hosted more than 2,000 local and foreign visitors for canoeing and kayaking along the Sagana river. Participants came from more than 15 countries.
