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Expert Reviews of Shimba Hills National Reserve (6 Reviews)

Shimba Hills Safaris Shimba Hills National Reserve
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3.3333 / 5 3.3 /5
3.3333 / 5 3.5000 / 5 2.8333 / 5 3.3333 / 5

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Sables, Squirrels and Bush Babies

3 / 5 3 /5
3 / 5 3 / 5 4 / 5 3 / 5
Shimba Hills doesn’t compare with Kenya’s finest in terms of overall game viewing, but this small reserve offers much to wildlife connoisseurs and it’s a great overnight add-on to a beach holiday, situated less than an hour’s drive from Mombasa and the resorts of Diani Beach. It is the only place in Kenya that supports the sable antelope, and I’ve successfully spotted the handsome male – with its black coat and backward-curved horns – on four of my five previous visits. I’ve also had good luck here with elephant, buffalo and other antelope, but large predators are rare and/or secretive. A highlight of my most recent visit was a guided walk to Sheldrick Falls, a free activity that leaves at 10am and 2pm daily and offers an opportunity to explore the forested slopes overlooking Diani Beach on foot. A wonderful feature of the reserve is its only lodge, which feels like a rambling, overgrown treehouse rising from above a jungle-swathed waterhole. Elephant often come to drink
Read more here, while regular avian visitors include trumpeter hornbill, African fish eagle and green-headed oriole. The real show-stealers, however, are the beautiful red-bellied coast squirrels that clamber around the building on the daylight shift, and the bug-eyed greater bush babies that take over from them after dark. Great fun!
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A Short Excursion To See a Variety of Large Mammals Near the Coast

3 / 5 3 /5
4 / 5 1 / 5 3 / 5 2 / 5

Shimba Hills is less than an hour’s drive from Diani Beach and is characterised by coastal rainforest and patches of rolling grasslands. It is home to a variety of large mammals and is best known for its herds of buffalo and elephant and for being the only place in Kenya to see sable antelope. Our short safari was pretty eventful: our guide pointed out spoor and we saw monkeys and birds on our walk to the impressive Sheldrick Falls, on the Lango Plains we saw graceful sable, and from the lookout at Giriama Point, entrancing views of the Indian Ocean. A day trip here is rewarding and often includes lunch at Shimba Hills Lodge, from where elephant viewing is virtually guaranteed from the wooden balconies. The hills are much cooler than the coast making it a refreshing excursion.

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Herds of Sable Antelope, Close to the Indian Ocean

4 / 5 4 /5
4 / 5 4 / 5 4 / 5 4 / 5

Despite being within easy driving distance of the hugely popular Indian Ocean resort of Diani Beach, Shimba Hills receives relatively few visitors. It’s a modest park, but I found it enjoyable for a quick visit, and a refreshing change from the coastal strip in every way – not least because it’s considerably less humid up here, and there’s an excellent forest safari lodge with a raised wildlife-viewing platform.

The hills are a lush and pleasant mixture of tropical woodland and grassland. You’ll most likely see elephants here – numbers have built back up following a translocation programme to reduce overcrowding in 2005. It’s also fairly easy to see sable antelope – this is the only park in Kenya where these magnificent creatures are found. Other species you may encounter include ostrich and buffalo.

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Bush and Beach

3 / 5 3 /5
3 / 5 3 / 5 3 / 5 3 / 5
This very underrated reserve is less than an hour’s drive from Diani Beach, the biggest beach resort in Kenya, and is ideal for an easy morning game drive. True the wildlife variety and concentrations don’t come close to Kenya’s big name parks and reserves but for a break from the beach and a taste of the bush it couldn’t be better. Many hotels in Diani and elsewhere along the south coast organise half- or full-day packages to the reserve, which often include (a very mediocre) lunch at the Shimba Hills Lodge.

I’ve always enjoyed my visits to Shimba Hills and the quantity of wildlife has generally exceeded expectations. The park is best known for the huge, graceful sable antelope and indeed this is the only place in Kenya that they can be seen. The park is also known for its elephant as well as a good mix of antelope. Whilst I have only ever seen a couple of elephants here, I have seen sable antelope on each visit as well as plenty of buffalo, warthog, impala and a
Read more few giraffe. One of the highlights of a visit for me is the short (ranger-led) walk through the forest to the impressive Sheldrick Falls. There aren’t many parks or reserves you can walk in so don’t miss this opportunity.

If you come to Shimba Hills expecting wildlife on the scale of the Masai Mara then you will leave disappointed, but lower your expectations somewhat and you’ll likely find this a highly rewarding park. I would say that it’s best for those with limited time and who just want a little sample of the Kenyan bush, but most of all I would recommend this park to anyone with younger children: the short distances, good roads and low costs combined with just enough animals to keep interest levels from flagging put this park alongside Nairobi and Nakuru National Parks as the best for families.
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Hilltop Retreat

3 / 5 3 /5
3 / 5 3 / 5 3 / 5 4 / 5
This little jewel of a reserve is nestled among attractive hills just an hour’s drive inland from some of Kenya’s most popular beach resorts. It can’t offer the Big Five drama of Tsavo or the Masai Mara, but you will see plenty of wildlife – from Angola colobus monkeys in the forest clefts to Kenya’s only sable antelope in the rolling grassland. Most significant, perhaps, is a population of roughly 200 elephants that most often forage in the precious indigenous forest. Big game aside, this is a great place to get to know smaller wildlife, from monitor lizards to warthogs. To get a good feel for the landscape, I highly recommend the hike to Sheldrick Falls, which is about 2.5km in either direction and escorted by a ranger. The falls are impressive, the forest bird life rich, and it’s a rare chance to feel the bush underfoot – something that may not arise during the rest of your Kenyan safari. My one visit was a day trip, so I did not stay overnight at the Shimba Hills Lodge.
Read more But this old timber construction is known for its pleasant bush ambience, especially after dark, when game visits the floodlit waterhole, and nocturnal species, including bushbaby and genet, swing by the terrace in search of snacks.
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A Refuge for Sable Antelope

4 / 5 4 /5
3 / 5 3 / 5 4 / 5 4 / 5
Shimba Hills National Reserve is only a short drive inland from the popular resorts of Diani Beach. The lush, forested terrain contrasts vividly with the surrounding lowlands, creating a haven for a variety of animals including elephants, buffalo and giraffes. The reserve’s flagship animal is the sable antelope. The coastal forest is a great place to see this relatively rare antelope and the fact that they are a localized subspecies, known as Roosevelt’s sable, adds an extra layer of interest for wildlife enthusiasts.

A highlight on my recent visit was a hike to Sheldrick Falls. Twice daily, this activity is offered free of charge. Two armed rangers will guide any visitors that show up at the start of the trailhead at 10am or 2pm. The round trip takes about 2.5 hours, and this includes plenty of time at the waterfall for photos and an optional waterfall shower.

Although easily visited on a day trip from the coast, an overnight stay is even more rewarding. Shimba
Read more Lodge overlooks a small water hole that attracts thirsty animals, especially in the dry season. For me the best part about the lodge is the resident wildlife: striking red-bellied coast squirrels run along the stilted walkways and greater galagos usually make an appearance at the dinner table at night.
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