When we made this trip in 2011, the DSWT had only relatively recently taken control of the conservation area surrounding Umani Springs. They had completed the construction of a magnificent guest facility in the dense woodland near to the spring and clearly had plans to expand things in the future. For us this place was a chance to explore the forests on foot, visit the Chyulu Hills National Park that the conservation area adjoins and take in a different and dramatic landscape.

The area around the springs, in the dry season, a collection of muddy dried-up pools and the bubbling spring itself, would turn out to be a bird-watching highlight. The birds were easily seen, varied and fairly approachable. There were many herons, egrets, darters and birds of prey to be found in the woodland. Nearer to home, the smaller birds were plentiful, particularly near to the man-made water-hole on which the lodge buildings were centred.

James, the head of the anti-poaching team for the DSWT in the area was keen to show us around and we walked with him through the forest almost every day. There were often monkeys in the trees, but despite seeing plenty of signs that elephants were in the area, we didn’t see one during our visit. James explained that they mostly came down to the spring to drink at night, preferring to spend the day out in the hills.

We could, of course, visit the park and he’d be delighted to go with us and show us around. Chyulu Hills National Park is one of the smaller parks in Kenya and it encompasses a series of overlapping volcanic cones that form a line of striking conical hills clearly seen from the main Mombasa to Nairobi road. While it does have plenty of wildlife and some fascinating geological attractions, it just isn’t really on the tourist-frequented track.

This is probably why I liked it so much. The roads were rough and bumpy, the wildlife scattered and hard to see well. The scenery as we climbed high into the volcanic hills was, however, fascinating. Volcanic cone after cone, piled one on top of another and crowned with patches of ancient forest seemed to go on forever. We did see groups of kongoni and eland high in the hills. What they find to eat up there in the dry season is beyond my understanding, but they seemed well-fed and lively.

The road up into the hills was clearly a little-used one and Dixon had to employ all his skill and care to get us up the steep gradients to reach a twisting plateau among the cones. From here, 1000m above the surrounding plains, we would have been able to see Kilimanjaro looming in the south, if it hadn’t been just too hazy and overcast.

Still, there was plenty to see. There were antelopes, buffalo and even a couple of briefly seen elephants made an appearance. We also took the chance to visit the lava tubes for which the park is famous. The short stretch we were allowed to explore was just a couple of dozen metres long between cave-ins, but it had been mapped for many kilometres high into the hills where titanic eruptions had brought it into life millennia before.

Despite the dominance of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, it is sometimes easy to forget the turbulent past and volcanic nature of Kenya’s landscapes. The Chyulu Hills and the Yatta Plateau to the east were strong reminders of the massive scale of volcanic activity in the country long ago and the way that the modern landscape was shaped and formed by events in the past.

Before we leave Umani Springs I must give a mention to our friendly white-tailed mongoose. He would appear each evening at dinner time and enjoy a few scraps from a convenient feeding table just outside our dining room. He caused my feet to be savaged by mosquitoes on one particularly warm evening when I had forgotten to put my stocks back on, thinking we’d be safely indoors for the rest of the day.

Despite not seeing much in terms of wildlife during our visit, I loved my few days at Umani Springs and hoped that we could visit again. Soon enough though, it was time to head off to our next location.