Best Things to do in Shimba Hills national reserve : Shimba Hills national reserve is famously known as one of the largest coastal forests in East Africa after Arabuko-sokoke forest and for its highest density population of African elephants in the country. Shimba hills national reserve is located in Kwale County near Mombasa because it takes only a distance of about 33 kilometers and about 15 kilometers from the coastal province. This national reserve was established in 1968 and it covers a total surface area of about 192.51 square kilometers. more so, it is considered as a good destination for one to travel to while on an adventurous safari in Kenya due to the fact that it is dominated and characterized of its savannah grasslands, coastal rain forests, flora and fauna which all act as good natural habitats to the animal species such as; buffalos, baboons, hyenas, leopards, bush bucks among others and many bird species like; yellow-throated thrush, African palm swift, sunbirds among others.
More so, there are so many attractions within this park which lead to many people to travel and tour around the park such as; elephant hills which is a good spot to sight see at large numbers of elephants, wildlife species and birds, marere dam which is seen as a good birding spot, sheldrick water falls, Kaya kinondo, Mwaluganje elephant sanctuary, Kongo mosque, colobus conservation centre and tusks among others. In addition, there are also so many interesting things to do while exploring around this national reserve and some of these include the following below;
Best things to do while in Shimba Hills National Reserve.
Game Viewing.
Touring around Shimba national reserve blesses you with chances to engage into sight see so many wildlife species from different parts and some of these include; large herds of elephants because it a home to over 700 elephants, leopards, giraffes, waterbucks, bush pigs, hyenas, civet cats, African bush baby and primate species such as; black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, Sykes monkeys, red duikers, bush duikers, greater galogo, black and white shrew, knob, black-faced vervet monkey, baboons among others. More so, there also reptile species such as; snakes like; python and cobras, lizards, butterflies and insects like; mosquitos, beetle among others.
Bird Watching.
Shimba Hills national reserve harbours a variety numbers of around 230 bird species that are always available for individuals to see and these include; golden pipit, Sokoke pipit, crested guinea fowl, yellow-throated longclaw, black headed oriole, green tinerbird, olive sunbird, tiny greenbul, Zanzibar greenbul, flappet lark, African golden oriole, bearded scrub robin, Bohm’s spinetail, coastal cisticola, white browed, eagles, hornbills, Uluguru, African hawks, guinea fowls, crowned hornbill, East Coast Akalat, narina trogon, plain-backed sunbird, silverly-cheeked hornbill, spotted ground thrush, trumpeter hornbill, brown chested barbet, slivery checked hornbill, pangani long claw, fischer’s turaco and many others. and the best time to visit while on a birding safari is best between months of November to April when there happens to be large numbers of migratory birds in the park.
Guided nature walks/ Hiking.
Hiking is one of the intresting activities done in the park due to the fact that there are so many hiking trails that tourists can go through and also going for the guided nature walks is rewarding due to the fact that tourists get to sight see at many wildlife species and birds such as; sokoke pipit, green tinker bird, plain-backed sunbird, red-necked spur fowl, trumpeter hornbill, pangani long claw among others as they enjoy the cool breeze and capture classic views of the beautiful green sceneries in the park. More so, these guided nature walks, tourists are always accompanied with park guides whose role is to lead them through different trails and ensure the safety of both visitors and the animals. More so, there are more exciting things to do like; visiting the Mwalunganje elephant sanctuary and many others.
Where to stay in Shimba National reserve.
So many comfortable accommodation facilities are found within Shimba hills national reserve where visitors can have their stay. And these lodging facilities are classified differently such as; from budget, mid-range and luxury and they include; Dani backpackers, Shimba hills green safari lodge, pinewood beach resort and spa, hotel sonrisa, kinondo kwetu lodge, Simba oryx beach cottages, sonrisa hotel, shimba la salama lodge, Villa mandhar Diani beach and many others. More so, there are many campsites where individuals can go for camping as they capture classic views of the ocean such as; professional campsite, Makadara picnic sites, sheldrick waterfalls campsite and many others.
And for tourists who are always planning to travel to Shimba Hills national park can opt to use either road transport as they take long trips while they enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the country or they can choose to use Air transport means. More so, the best time to travel is during the dry season because fewer rainfalls are received within this period.
Contact our trusted tour operators for more information and inquiries about what best activities are done while touring around this reserve and Book with our tours and travel companies such as; Focus East Africa Tours who offer the best Kenya tour packages while on your safari in Shimba national reserve in Kenya.
