Shimba
Hills National Park
Mombasa
South Coast, Kenya
(Shimba
Hills National Park is close to Mombasa. Shimba Hills
National Park is a small hilly plateau situated at
33 km South West from Mombasa (near Kwale Town).
Shimba
Hills National Park
Sheldrick
Falls
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Shimba
Hills National Park —
Kenya
Shimba Hills National Park; Shimba
Hills National Park is close to Mombasa. Shimba Hills
National Park is a small hilly plateau situated at
33 km South West from Mombasa (near Kwale Town). This
pristine wonderland of rolling Meadows and forests
of giant primeval trees harbors a wide variety of
wildlife, including some 500 elephant that favor the
refreshing fruit of the borassus palm.
There
are leopards often heard but not frequently seen.
But the most distinctive of the Shimba Hills National
Reserve's many species is perhaps the rare and impressive
Sable antelope, found in the same habitats as several
large herds of buffalo. While never numerous in Kenya
it is unlikely that viable populations exist other
than in the Shimba Hills. Closely related to the Roan
antelope, which it resembles, it is in fact, slightly
smaller. Both sexes carry the 100-160 centimeter horns,
which rise vertically before curving backward in a
pronounced arc.
Visiting
the park is a great opportunity to discover the dry
red-soil of inland Kenya by doing a real safari and
observing African elephants while being near the coast
and still enjoying the freshness of the coastal breeze.
The park is well managed, the road is good all year
round and there are plenty of signposts, to direct
you. These is also a few choice of accommodation for
those willing to pass the night in an equatorial forest
populated by elephants or for sundowners lovers.
Shimba
Hills is the name of the hills rising above the palm-fringed
reaches of Kenya's coastline. Surrounded by a forested
area of approximately 24'000 hectares, the park has
a unique wooded ecosystem rich in flora but also in
fauna - with all the same elephants, giraffes and
the rare sable antelopes. Shimba Hills National Reserve
vegetation is very dense therefore the few pastures
and grasslands available are the best places to view
animals who usually move towards rivers to drink and
plains to graze.
They
are on eastern side of the park near the Giriama point,
the Longo forest or the Buffalo ridge. Because it
is very hot, animals stay in the forest during the
day and no animals are seen. The best time is late
in the afternoon. The main attraction of the park
are the Sheldrick falls, an impressive 25 meters high
waterfall of fresh spring water, and its marked footpath
in gallery forest to see the falls.
Shimba
Hills National Park Attractions
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Sable
Antelopes at Shimba
Hills National Park
Shimba
Hills National Park is
fairly small park and is also the sanctuary
of the last breeding herd of indigenous
Sable Antelope in Kenya. This typical
sabre-horned antelope is often considered as
the most beautiful of the large antelopes.
They are more
easily seen on the central grasslands (Buffalo
ridge) and around the old airstrip (near Longo
forest). Best time is early morning or late
afternoon. Large and gregarious
animals with long scimitar-shaped horns, they
have a black color coat marked with white stripes
on their face and under-parts. In the past,
this African savanna antelopes were preys of
many hunters and the species was almost extinct
in Kenya.
Even Ernest
Hemingway was used to hunt Sable Antelopes despite
the fact he was astonished by the beauty and
the habits of the antelopes, both developed
in his book, The Green Hills of Africa.
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Shimba
Hills National Park
is a unique habitat for Elephants
For
those who have been in safari and have seen
savannah elephants under acacia cover and savannah
in backdrop, Shimba Hills National Park is a
good alternative to view Elephants in a forested
area. The tropical forests of Shimba Hills National
Park are a unique habitat for Elephants of the
Kenyan coast.
The best place to spot them is in the Elephant
Hill or along the forested area such as Longo
forest, but herds can be seen all over the Park
as there is more than 600 Elephants in the area.
Note also that a fenced Elephant corridor connects
the Shimba Hills National Park to the Mwaluganje
Forest and its Elephant Sanctuary. |
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Wildlife
in Shimba
Hills National Park
Shimba
Hills National Park vegetation cover is dense
and the weather is very hot during the daytime
hours, animals are shy, stay most of the day
in the forest and are very hard to see.
A
late afternoon visit is recommended. Besides
the Elephants and the Sable Antelopes, other
animals in the Park include Buffalo, Waterbuck,
Bushbuck, Hyena, Warthog, Leopard, Baboon, Sykes',
Vervet and Colobus monkeys, Serval, Duiker,
Suni and Bush pig.
The
Masai Giraffe and Ostrich have been reintroduced
in the Park and Impalas and Zebras have been
unsuccessfully reintroduced. The rare Roan Antelope
is a relative to the Sable Antelope also found
in Shimba Hills. This antelope can also be seen
in Masai Mara National Reserve. Birdlife is
also abundant, especially during spring migration
as 111 bird species have been recorded, of which
22 are coastal endemic.
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Ocean
View Point & Giriama Points
Shimba
Hills National Park has many viewpoints all
with views over the forested hills and the grass
plains. These viewpoints are used to observe
Elephants so binoculars is a must. The eastern
side of the Park has more viewpoints than the
western side and the scenery is more contrasted
with forests and plains. At the western side
of Shimba Hills National Park, the Pengo hill
(450 m) is the highest point of Shimba hills
and on a very clear day, the Tsavo plains and
the Taita Hills can be seen (and sometimes Mount
Kilimanjaro).
Ocean
view point offers a panoramic views over the
hilly countryside and as far as the Kenyan coast
and the Chale Island and there is a picnic site.
The Giriama point is on the way towards Sheldrick
Fall |
Shimba
Hills National Park Sheldrick
Falls
Note:
Shimba
Hills National Park Sheldrick
Falls visit has to be
accompanied
by a Kenya Wildlife Service Ranger Guide
(for safety reasons) as there are sometimes
Elephants or few Cape Buffalos along the
2 km long way-marked footpath going to
the falls.
It's
also advisable to take a Safari Hat and
bottle water before setting out going
to the forest walk as the path crosses
steep uncovered grass plains and it can
get very hot at times. The falls were
discovered by David Sheldrick.
The
pleasant walk takes two hours from the
car park area to the falls which supply
Tiwi and Diani beaches of Mombasa with
water. The track leading down to the cascade
offers a scenic walk, count 45 minutes
to descend and 1 hour to return. At the
fall, don't try to climb on the cliff
as it is slippery but take a cold shower
of 25 meters high, swim safely in the
cool water pool or even have a picnic
by the cascades on the sand.
The
level of the pool depends on the season
you are visiting. During rainy season,
you can easily swim in the pool and there
is one fall while during dry season, the
pool is tiny and there are two spring
water falls.
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Shimba
Hills National Park Facts
Altitude
:120
- 450 meters
Area :
321 Square Kilometers
Location : 33
Kilometers south of Mombasa - District of Kwale (Coast
Province)
Entrances :
one main entrance and three secondary gates (Kivumoni
Gate, Kidongo Gate, Shimba Gate). Shimba
Hills National Park
has a small Airstrip
Shimba
Hills National Park Highlights
* Sheldrick Waterfalls (25 meters high)
*
Unique presence of the sable antelope
*
Splendid views towards the Indian Ocean and Mt Kilimanjaro
* Possibility to go for walk at the falls and to plunge
in the pool.
* Picnic sites, camping sites and self-catering accommodation
available
*
Large rainforest surrounding the park (Mkongani and
Mwaluganje forests)
* Possibility to do safari easily accessible from
Mombasa : elephant, giraffe, buffalo, roan antelope
and leopard
Shimba
Hills National Park
List of Animals
Antelopes
& Gazelles |
Ungulates
& Mammals |
Carnivores
|
Primates
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| Suni
Steinbok
Bushbuck
Blue
Duiker
Coastal
Topi
Roan Antelope
Sable
Antelope
Common
Duiker
Harvey’s
Duiker
Common
Waterbuck |
Masai
Giraffe
Common
Warthog
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Lion
Hyena
Leopard
Serval
Spotted
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Blue
Monkey
Sykes
Monkey
Lesser
Bushbaby
Savannah
Baboon
Diademed
Monkey
Green
Vervet Monkey
Small-eared
greater Galago
Large-eared
greater Galago
Rabbits, Hares, Insectivores
Eastern
Black & White Colobus |
Shimba
Hills National Park
Vegetation
Shimba
Hills National Park vegetation
is unique and composed of coastal rainforests and
grasslands interspersed with woodlands and coastal
bushes. Undulating hills are patched with bushes,
small grasslands and riverine forests running alongside
the water springs/rivers of the hills. Large rainforests
are surrounding the hills and bordering small escarpments.
They
are unique as they are one of the last remaining coastal
rainforests on earth and are home to more than 1,100
plant's species, of which 280 are endemic to the ecosystem,
and 19 endangered species of tree. Finally, two of
Kenya's most beautiful orchids flowers are found in
the park - the Eulophia linvingstoniana and cacullata
in April, and the Eulophia wakefieldii in July and
August.
"The
Shimba Hills hold one of the largest areas of coastal
rain forest in East Africa after Arabuko Sokoke. The
vegetation consists of forested scarp slopes and undulating
grasslands interspersed with woodland clumps and ribbons
of riverine forest in the steeply cut valleys.
Shimba
Hills National Park
Elephants
Mombasa
|
 Shimba
Hills National Park
Sable
Antelopes Mombasa
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 Shimba
Hills National Park
Sheldrick
falls Mombasa |
Shimba
Hills National Park
Camping & Self Bandas In the Park
Shimba
Hills National Park
has only one special campsite and one public campsite
in the reserve and both are in an excellent setting.
The Public Campsite offers a forested camping area
with as well excellent views over the surrounding
forests. There is no water on site. A pit latrine
is available. The Special Campsite (called also private
campsite, as it must be booked in advance on an exclusive
use basis) offers a broad grassy area with magnificent
views. Water, latrine and a seating area are available.
Shimba Rainforest
Lodge
Set
discreetly in the heart of a tropical rain forest,
located near the main gate of the park at just 45
minutes from Diani's beaches, Shimba Rainforest Lodge
blends perfectly with the luxuriant vegetation of
the Shimba Hill
Accommodation Around
Shimba
Hills National Park
Travelers
Mwaluganje Elephant Camp booked through African Spice
Safaris."This camp is owned by the Travelers
Group of Hotels and is the only lodging facility within
the Sanctuary. It comprises of 20 twin bed tents complete
with private verandah and cold and hot water shower.
It offers full catering service for resident guests.
View
all Shimba Hills National Park Accommodation
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View
all Shimba
Hills National Park Safaris
& Tours |
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Booking
& Reservations for Shimba
Hills National Reserves Safari in Mombasa South Coast,
Kenya
Booking
Office Tel:
+ 254 (0) 20 2437871
Mobile
: 0721242711 (Safaricom) - Kenya
Email:
info@africanspicesafaris.com
