Dog
Dog-walking, especially in an urban environment is good exercise and pastime for both dogs and owners. Please note that all dogs brought into Karura Forest must be duly registered, including a photo of the dog(s) and copies of current vaccination certificates.
Dog Guidelines
- All dogs entering Karura Forest must be registered annually and issued with a Dog Tag card.
- All dogs must have current vaccinations, especially yearly rabies. The forest belongs to the wildlife. All mammals can carry rabies, so please protect your dog by vaccinating!
- For your own dog’s safety, all dogs must be on-leash in the car parks.
- In Off-Leash areas please don’t let your dog run into the forest chasing wildlife. Stay on the designated tracks.
- If your dog poos on the trail, please be considerate to other walkers and joggers and use a twig to move it off the path, if possible kick a bit of dirt over it.
- Dogs must be leashed at all times except in areas clearly marked “Dogs off Leash.” See maps of designated areas in Sigiria and the main forest below. The start and end of all designated areas are clearly signposted along the paths. Even in Off-Leash areas dogs must be under voice command control at all times.
- If you meet other visitors with dogs, use common sense and bring your dogs under control, leashing them if necessary. Note that there are arrows suggesting you and your dogs follow an anti-clockwise direction on the main dogs-off-leash loops in order to minimise the number of head-on encounters.
- If you come across other visitors who don't have dogs and seem uncomfortable around them, offer to leash your dogs until they've gone by.
Please help FKF maintain the privilege of allowing dogs in Karura by reporting dog-rule offenders (with time and place, descriptions, names and photos, if possible) to the FKF Scouts at the gates, by phone to the Logistics Coordinator (0717-866 934), or by email to:
Dog owners who do not comply will be warned. Those who choose to ignore the guidelines will be barred from bringing their dogs into the forest for a period of six months.
Fill out an online application, together with a copy of a valid Rabies vaccine certificate.
Here is an optional canine bandana code. It’s a good idea to colour-code your dog, so when dogs meet on the trail, the owners will know how to behave:
GREEN
Dog is friendly and owner welcomes on greetings.
BLUE
Dog is friendly but owner chooses not to allow greetings of any kind.
RED
Dog is reactive. Keep a reasonable distance.
PURPLE
Dog is timid or fearful. Keep reasonable distance.
When you enter the forest with a dog, a Clerk or a Scout will check your Dog Tag validity. Thank you for helping to make the Karura Forest an enjoyable place for dogs and people alike! Click here to see a larger map of Off-Leash areas:
