Just forty-five minutes from the hot and humid coastal city of Mombasa in Kenya, is Shimba, located in the Shimba National Reserve. Walk with the endangered elephants, buffalo and sable antelope in the cool and refreshing greens of the Shimba Hills rainforest jungle.
Although Shimba is only 48 km from Mombasa, it has a cool and refreshing climate with a cool and very cool breeze from the Indian Ocean. It is one of the largest areas of coastal tropical forest in East Africa which includes the sacred Kaya forest of the Mijikenda tribe. The Shimba Hills Lodge, located in the national reserve, has been beautifully built from indigenous timber, where you can drink, dine and relax in the spectacular award-winning treehouse overlooking a watering hole. There are also two campsites within the park, but many Mombasa hotels are nearby, so you can visit Shimba on a day trip.
Shimba is home to a variety of species, including elephants, giraffes, hyenas and buffalo, as well as the rare roan and sable antelope. The forests are home to a number of unusual species, including black and white colobus monkeys, serval cats, red duikers and suni antelope. An abundance of bird life is found among the hills, including Honey Guides, Turacos, Woodpeckers, and Sunbirds. The Sable antelope is considered the most beautiful of the large antelopes and the Shimba Hills contain Kenya’s only population of the endangered species. The area is also home to rare plants including two of the most beautiful types of orchids in Kenya and more than 250 different species of butterflies that live in the rainforest.
There are more than five hundred elephants in the reserve and although Elephant Hill is the ideal place to see these large animals, they can be seen throughout the reserve. A fenced corridor has been built linking the Shimba National Reserve with the Mwalunganje forest and its elephant sanctuary.
The reserve has a thick canopy of rainforest where the animals prefer to stay cool on hot days, but the best views of the animals are from the east side of the park, near Giriama Point in the late afternoon, where you can see the animals moving towards the rivers to quench their thirst. Guided night tours are also available – you’re sure to hear hyenas, and if you’re really lucky, you might even see a leopard.
The main attraction of the park is the spectacular 25m high Sheldrick Falls. There is a two kilometer marked trail to the falls where you can safely swim in the pool or have a picnic by the falls. A ranger is available at 10 am and 3 pm to escort visitors on this walk at no charge.
Prego Hill is the highest point in the park at 450 km. From here, there is an incredible view of the Tsavo Plains, the Taita Hills and, on a very clear day, Mount Kilimanjaro.
Before leaving this beautiful National Reserve, you can buy a unique souvenir at the gates: paper made from elephant dung!