Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kwale County, Kenya

Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kwale County, 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. 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.

Epic Kenya Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound