BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
The Shimba Hills were gazetted as a National Forest in 1903,
grassland areas were incorporated in 1924 and several subsequent
extensions took place to bring the Reserve to its present
size. In 1968 most of the Reserve was double gazetted as the
Shimba Hills National Reserve. Two smaller areas to the west
adjoining the reserve and almost entirely forested remain
as Forest Reserves; Mkongani North and Mkongani West Forest
Reserve. A fenced elephant corridor connects the Shimba Hills
with Mwaluganje Forest Reserve to the North.
The Shimba hills are a dissected plateau that ascends steeply
from the coastal plains, 30 km south west of Mombasa and just
south of Kwale town. The surrounding escarpment rises from
around 120m to 300m across the bulk of the plateau and as
high as 450m at Marare and Pengo hills. The underlying rocks
are the Triassic Shimba Grits and in the north central part
near Kwale town Pliecone Magarini sands. Rivers flowing from
the hills supply fresh water to Mombasa and the Diani/Ukunda
area.
Location: The reserve is approximately 33 km South of Mombasa,
in Kwale district of Coast Province.
Climate:
The climate is hot and moist but is cooler than that at the
coast with strong sea breezes and frequent mist and cloud
in the early morning. Annual rainfall is 855mm-1682mm. Mean
annual temperatures is 24.2 degrees Centigrade.
HOW
TO GET THERE
Roads:
The reserve's main access is via Diani. - 56 kms from Mombasa.
Airstrips:
The reserve has one airstrip.
Park Roads:
Inside the Reserve is a 153 km road network.
Park Gates:
Main gate, Kivumoni Gate, Kidongo Gate, Shimba Gate.
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS
• Scenic landscape comprising of hills and valleys extending
beyond the reserve boundaries
• Sheldricks Falls
• Sable antelope
• Coastal rainforest
• Potential for bird-shooting outside the Reserve
FACILITIES
Shimba Hills Lodge; KWS Bandas; 2 campsites
WILDLIFE
Reptiles:
Python, Cobra, Lizard, Gecko.
Insects:
Butterflies, Mosquito, Beetle.
Major Animals:
Antelope, Roan; Antelope, Sable; Buffalo, African; BushBaby;
Bushbuck; Colobus, Coastal Black and white; Duiker, Blue;
Duiker, Bush; Duiker, Red; Elephant, African; Galago, Greater;
Leopard; Lion; Monkey, Black-faced Vervet; Monkey, Sykes;
Serval; Shrew, Black and Red; Shrew, Knob-bristled; Suni.
Major Birds:
Eagle, African Hawk; Falcon, Cuckoo; Guinea-fowl, Kenya Crested;
Honeyguide, Greater; Hornbill, Crowned; Quail, Blue; Sunbird,
Uluguru.
COMMON VEGETATION
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.
The biggest single patch of the forest is in the south western
sector. Tall milicia forest is found on the deep soils of
the plateau top and the western escarpment and mature Afzelia
erythrophloeum forest cover much of the eastern and southern
escarpment where the plateau drops to a low-lying area. On
steep scarp slopes to both east and west is forest dominated
by Chlorophora and Paramacrolobium, a relic forests from an
era of much heavier rainfall in Kenya.
Further east and north the forest breaks up into a a mosaic
interspersed with scrubland dominated by Lantana and Vernonia,
wooded grassland with Syzygium and Hyphaene and open grassland
with numerous species including orchids. In the lower western
sector of the plateau is coastal bushland with Manilkara Combretum
forest.
A total of 1100 plant taxa are recorded, around 280 of which
are endemic to the area and 19 threatened tree species. Notable
tree species include polyceratocarpus sp, uvariodendron sp,
cephalosphaera usamabarensis, diospyros shimbaensis, phyllanthus
sacleuxii, pavetta tarennoides, synsepalum kassneri, bauhinia
mombassae
