Cherangani Hills, the longest ranges in Kenya, rise up to a height of 3,581m and form a barrier between the fertile highlands surrounding the town of Kitale in the Rift Valley. Treks in the Cheranganis offer spectacular scenery and authentic insights into the life of the local people. Offering geographic diversity, a myriad of dirt roads and some dramatic peaks, the highest and most remote to the north, the Cheranganis are great for hikers who are happy to rough it. Unlike most of Kenya’s mountains and ranges, the rolling Cherangani Hills are not volcanic in origin. Field guides, bird guides and hikes are arranged by a company based within Cherangani. The hills are home to the Pokot people in the south and the Marakwet people in the north, and are dotted with small towns.
Saiwa Swamp is Kenya’s smallest National Park with an area of less than 3 km˛. The relatively little visited park was created to protect the habitat of the rare semi-aquatic and endangered Sitatunga antelope. It has no roads and does not need them, thus is traversed by some 18 km of walking trails and well-timbered walkways and four observation towers, which can be climbed to achieve an aerial view of the swamp and its unique inhabitants. Besides hosting more than 370 species of birds, including forest birds and water fowls, the swamp is also home to other wildlife including various species of monkeys, porcupines, several cats, fish otters, snakes and fish.
Saiwa Swamp remains, the only place in Kenya where the elusive Sitatunga have become relatively habituated to the proximity of humans. Their shaggy coat is oily and water repellent, while its elongated hooves allow it to move on submerged vegetation. Easily able to outrun its predators while in the swamp, on land it is clumsy. As a good swimmer, when alarmed, the Sitatunga dives deep and remains almost entirely submerged, but for the tip of its nose. Extremely shy, it prefers to feed in the morning and evening and occasionally leaves the swamp after dark to browse. Cool, shaded and compact, the park offers an ideal dawn walk, an enchanting ornithological or forest safari.
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