AREA-300 sq km
Distance from Mombasa- 56 Km (45mins by road)
Altitude – 1,400 ft A.S.L
The Shimba hills National Reserve is to the south of Mombasa (Diani). It is an enchanting coastal rain forest, rolling grasslands and scrubland with a cool breeze blowing from the Indian Ocean . This park is home to the elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, giraffe (newly introduced), sable antelope (only found here) and several species of primates.
The reserve is one of the few along the Eastern coastline where the remnants of a tropical rain forest still exist. It is in this reserve that the ‘MVULE’ tree; one of the African hardwoods is still preserved. Other species of trees are the coconut palm, cyardfern, orchids and mangoes.
The birdlife in Shimba hills constitutes some of the rarest species: – the golden Oriole, black tailed bustard, Madagascar Night heron have been spotted. A popular spot is the sheldrick falls 25meters high which is a vantage point for wildlife viewing. Accommodation in the reserve is the 67 bed Shimba hills lodge the only tree hotel on Kenyan coast, all rooms overlook the waterhole.
