Shimba Hills National Reserve Destination Guide, The only place in Kenya where you can see the Sable Antelope is in the Shimba Hills National Reserve marine forest, which is also very pretty.
As it is only 60 km from Mombasa, the Shimba Hills National Reserve is a great place to visit for the day. You can find a lot of different kinds of plants there, including many that are in danger of going extinct. It has one of the biggest coastal woods in East Africa. Many elephants live in the Shimba Hills National Reserve, which is also the only place in Kenya where people can see the Sable Antelope.

In the 300 Km2 Shimba Hills National Reserve, the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) looks after wildlife. Many elephants lived in the area, but in the early 2000s, it became too crowded to keep them alive. KWS moved more than 150 elephants to Tsavo East National Park in 2005. At the time, it was called “the single largest animal movement ever undertaken since Noah’s ark.”

There are still more than 500 elephants in the reserve, which makes things difficult for the poor farmers who live nearby. The Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary was created to help reduce this violence. It shares a border with the Shimba Hills National Reserve, which gives the elephants a way to get from one area to another.

It is also known for being a great place to watch birds. Birdwatchers can look for the Croaking Cisticola or the Zanzibar Red Bishop. Because the forest is so thick, seeing wildlife isn’t as exciting as on the savannahs because many animals spend their time deep in the forest. However, this isn’t always a bad thing because it makes the wildlife you do see even more amazing. Going on a game drive in the late afternoon is the best time of the day because the animals come out of the shade to find water because it is cooler.

The beautiful 21-meter-high Sheldrick Falls are in Shimba Hills. The late David Sheldrick, founder of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, explored this area and found a hidden waterfall in the Shimba Hills National Reserve while flying over it. The falls were then named after him.

How to Get to Shimba Hills National Park

The roads are good from Mombasa or Diani Beach. From Diani Beach, it takes about an hour to get there.

The Moi International Airport in Mombasa is the airport.

National Attractions and Highlights in Shimba Hills

The only place in Kenya where you can see Sable Antelope
Forest walks with a guide up to the stunning Sheldrick Falls
People go there to see the elephant groups.
Visit the Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary. It has five picnic spots and scenic lookouts.

Things to do in the Shimba Hills National Reserve.

The Kenya Wildlife Service leads walks to the Sheldrick Falls, which are a great way to see birds in the bush. It’s more exciting to go on game drives in the desert than in the savannahs, where animals are easier to spot.

For sundowners, you can also go to Pengo Hill, which looks west, and watch the sun go down. The Tsavo Plains and Mt. Kilimanjaro can be seen on a clear day.

What It Was Like

The Shimba Hills National Reserve is a great place to go for a day trip from Mombasa or Diani Beach. The Reserve has rolling hills covered in coastal forests. It is an important place for plant biodiversity because it is home to more than half of Kenya’s 159 rare plants, such as beautiful orchids and rare cycads.

It is in the Reserve that Kenya’s last breeding herd of Sable Antelope lives. Keep an eye out for these big, black antelope with scimitar-shaped horns.

A local tour company can take you on guided game drives through the area. You need a 4×4 car to get around on these roads because they are rough and windy. A walk through the bush with a Kenyan Wildlife Service Guide is one of the most memorable things you can do. The guide will lead you to the beautiful Sheldrick Falls.

You can also take a nice afternoon hike along one of the many great trails that lead to picnic areas and lookout places. Because there are elephants and buffalo in the area, you should definitely hire a guide to walk with you. The guide can also help you see many other animals and plants that you might miss.

Places to Stay in the Shimba Hills National Reserve

We suggest that people who are staying in one of the great places to stay in Mombasa or Diani spend the day at the National Park. The Pinewood Beach Resort and Spa or Kinondo Kwetu are both great places to stay in Diani.

The weather

Since Shimba Hills National Reserve is a little farther from the coast, it is cooler there, and in the morning, the scenery is often covered in fog. It is warm and tropical in the area, and the average temperature each year is 24 °C.