A Section of the Nyambene Forest
Ngaya forest is found in Igembe North sub-county . It is the only forest in the whole Ntonyiri region and the forest that is surrounded from all directions by community settlements. Several species of unique butterflies are found only in this forest. The butterflies are of different beautiful colors and they are very common especially just before the rain season and are a key pointer to the beginning of the rains.
The forest is about 40sq kilometers and is a habitat for various types of birds among them the guinea fowl. Around the middle of the forest, there is a huge tree, which has a hollow. The hollow was used by Mau Mau freedom fighters during the struggle for Kenya’s independence in the early 1950s up to early 1960s. Various types of wildlife are found in the forest and they include primates like velvet and colobus monkeys and cats like leopards. Larger mammals, which could easily be found in this forest, have retreated to Meru National park and Nyambene Game Reserve.
