A small grove of indigenous African pencil cedar (Juniperus procera) survives in a sheltered valley on the western side of the plateau, the southernmost natural occurrence of the species anywhere. The trees are tall, gnarled, and noticeably older than anything else around them; standing among them is one of the strange pleasures of Nyika, a glimpse of vegetation that has nothing in common with the surrounding grassland.
The forest is reached by a short walk from the Chisanga Falls track and best combined with a visit to the falls themselves. A guide from Chelinda will point out the orchids, mosses, and birds that share the grove. The walk in is gentle; the descent into the forest is steeper.