A hour of watching the Mathioya River at the foot of Mount Kenya in the Aberdares in Central Province in Kenya. See the Kingfisher bird hunting for fish at 39:15. A Kingfisher eats one kilo of fish everyday. The great River Mathioya is named after the constituency and which is one of the hardest rafting rivers in Kenya with over 137 ft of descent over its 13.7-mile length. It attracts tourists who risk kayaking through the swift meanders. Mathioya Constituency has a steep hilly topography and a climate suitable mainly for tea production, although there are pockets of coffee plantations. The lower parts of Mathioya also grow the macadamia nuts which were introduced in the mid 80’s by the Kenya Nut Company, while the upper part, which is much cooler due to the proximity to Mount Kenya grows pears, plums, and apples. The main ecosystems within the mountain range are rainforest giving way to dense bamboo forests and then moorland. The steep western edges of the hillside are sparsely inhabited by wildlife compared to the forested gentle slopes to the east, which are home to a wide variety of wildlife. There are multitudes of elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog as well as the endangered Black Rhino. A variety of cats including leopards and the rare African Golden Cat. Other threatened species including the Jackson mongoose, the black and white Colobus monkey and Sykes monkey are plentiful, as are waterbuck, reedbuck, duikers, serval cats and bushbuck. The Aberdares contain a rich diversity of vegetation. There are 778 vegetation and plant species, subspecies and varieties found in the Aberdare National Park, due to the park's altitude and rainfall. Hardwood trees include camphor, Cedar, Podo and Hagenia. Much of the Aberdares mountain range has been protected within the Aberdare National Park since its creation in 1950. The range attracts large numbers of hikers and climbers operating out of the main centers of Naivasha and Gilgil. The lower slopes are farmed, higher areas are known for their wildlife. The Rhino Charge is an annual event run by conservationists in Kenya to pay for fencing of the Aberdare National Park as a means of protecting East Africa's largest indigenous forest from destruction. Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (5,199 metres (17,057 ft)), Nelion (5,188 metres (17,021 ft)) and Point Lenana (4,985 metres (16,355 ft)). Mount Kenya is located in central Kenya, about 16.5 kilometres (10.3 mi) south of the equator, around 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-northeast of the capital Nairobi. Mount Kenya is the source of the name of the Republic of Kenya. Mount Kenya is a stratovolcano created approximately 3 million years after the opening of the East African rift. Before glaciation, it was 7,000 m (23,000 ft) high. It was covered by an ice cap for thousands of years. This has resulted in very eroded slopes and numerous valleys radiating from the centre. There are currently 11 small glaciers. The forested slopes are an important source of water for much of Kenya. There are several vegetation bands from the base to the summit. The lower slopes are covered by different types of forest. Many alpine species are endemic to Mount Kenya, such as the giant lobelias and senecios and a local subspecies of rock hyrax. An area of 715 km2 (276 sq mi) around the centre of the mountain was designated a National Park and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The park receives over 16,000 visitors per year.

• published: 03 Jun 2015
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