Have an explicit understanding on the notable activities and wildlife diversity in Shimba Hills National Reserve and lodgings at this Kenyan game reserve.

This magnificent wildlife park is a few distance from Mombasa city, Kwale County in the Southeastern Province of Kenya. It locates at only 15 kilometers from the coast. It is centered on 192 km² of Acacia woodlands, open grasslands and coastal rainforests.

Shimba Hills National Reserve was established 56 years ago as game reserve and registered as a Kenyan wildlife conservation. It has quite a large population of wildlife that harbor in and around it especially its high population of elephants.

The wildlife reserve has some prominent sites at which observation of wildlife in this park is clearest. These points are elevated at reasonable heights giving you unobstructed views of your desired wildlife encounter.

Why is Shimba Hills National Reserve Famous?

This magnificent wildlife conservation in Kwale County is famously renowned for its large numbers of elephants, diverse blend of plant life and panoramic landscapes. Its main tourist attraction are the large elephant populations of enormous build and it is the only inhabitant of the sable antelope. 

Shimba Hills National Reserve fees structure

It should be denoted that there are simple charges levied by the park operators from Kenya Wildlife Service to get access to this park’s activities and unique wildlife. Take a brief look at the fees paid on entry;

• Each adult foreign nonresident and resident pays 40 USD in the low season, i.e. from March to June. In the peak season, i.e. from July to February, the entrance fee is 70 USD.
• Infant foreign tourists are charged 20 USD each and also students foreigners pay 20 USD each
• Each East African citizen pays 600 KSH in the low season whereas in the peak season the charge levied is 800 KSH
• East African infants and students are charged 215 KSH for a daily entry ticket at Shimba Hills National Reserve.

Safari vehicles are also levied for entry per day. They are priced as follows;

• Compact SUVs with a maximum seating capacity of 6 pay 300 KSH
• 6-12 seats vehicles pay 1030 KSH
• 12-24 seats vehicles pay 2585 KSH
• 25-44 seats vehicles pay 4050 KSH
• 45 seats vehicles and beyond pay 5000 KSH

Wildlife at Shimba Hills National Reserve

The following are the wildlife that are present at Shimba Hills;

• Elephants
• Lions
• Giraffes
• primates
• Wildebeests
• Antelopes
• Buffalos
• Cheetahs
• Numerous bird species and so much more

Things to do at Shimba Hills National Reserve

At this park, a number of perfectly coordinated activities are ready for tourists to engage in. These activities are the best way to encounter wildlife at the Park. Take a look at the top things to do at this captivating wildlife conservation area.

1. Safari Game Drives

Game drives in Shimba Hills National Reserve might be the most fun ways to engage wildlife at this wildlife conservation. Game drives are done in reliable 4X4 wheel drive vehicles that can move through all the kinds of terrain in this park. The dependable cars, each has a pop up roof and windows that bring in clear light fashioning magnificent and unobstructed views for you at the park.

Safari game drives are led by experienced guides or park rangers plus a skilled driver. These experts provide all the biography of whatever encountered wildlife species you would need to know about on this Safari.

Game drives in this reserve usually start in the early mornings and late afternoons. You shall notably observe quite a number of free lancing nature artifacts especially the large elephant numbers and the other big five, numerous herbivores like the giraffes, zebras and antelopes as well as numerous bird species.

2. Hot Air Balloon Safaris

These safaris are posh experiences in a large Hot Air Balloon that sits a maximum of 15 passengers including the tour guide. The flights are usually launched in the early mornings not so high in the sky but above the shrubby vegetation in this wildlife conservation. This time has the calmest weather and highlighted by the astounding experience of seeing the sun rise from behind the highest free standing mountain in the world.

This Safari soars you above Shimba Hills National Reserve giving you the opportunity to observe the topography of this pack in high definition. It will give you a skeptical overview of the elephant herds at this park, few lion prides, flocks of birds and an impressive view of the sable antelopes.

This well accommodated safari with on flight breakfast and refreshments is the best to record moments and snap pictures of wildlife on their treks, hunting tactics, breeding characters and solitary attributes.

The Hot Air Balloon Safari is charged 510 USD per person at this park.

3. Nature and wildlife walks

Guided walks in at Shimba Hills National Reserve are astounding and memorable. They give you the opportunity to get detailed about the least and most information about this park. They are led by a knowledgeable guide or park ranger who is familiar with the geographical setting of the park.

Along the walks, the guide explains about the ways of life of the encountered wildlife species from the names to as far as their body attributes. Await an extensive array of plants, shrubs, small mammals like the aardvarks and the rare Kirk’s dik-dik.

The adventure gets amusing when you get to encounter the outstanding large population of elephants in this game reserve and a variety of plants and bird species this haven inhabits. It’s a home to endangered bird species like the white-headed vulture and the yellow-billed Ox-pecker.

These walks will present you perfect photographic opportunities to take snaps around the wildlife encounter only at spots designated safe. Nature walks at Shimba Hills National Reserve are free of charge.

Besides the above exhilarating activities, there are other interesting coordinated safaris for you to include on your to do list such as;

• Photography safaris
• Bird watching safaris
• Visiting the native communities
• Camping
• Sheldrick Falls Hike

Accommodation at Shimba Hills National Reserve

This park has a collection of fine lodgings and tented camps within and around it that provide quality stay comfort for you and your loved ones. These lodgings are of different accommodation services, i.e. they are luxurious, midrange or budget friendly.

Take a look at the best lodge from each sector;

Best Luxury Hotel

The Maji Beach Boutique Hotel is the best luxurious accommodation option near this wildlife park, just 1.5 km far. It has the best luxury endowed rooms made in a theme that relives you of wildlife even outside the park.

This lodge has an extensive array of amenities and facilities like a fully stacked health club, multi cuisine restaurants, no lag internet connection, and so much more. It tops its uniqueness with exhilarating road trip views of Amboseli National Park.

This high end hotel charges 660 USD for a fully accommodated night of two people in one room. Bookings and reservations for space at this hotel go on at their website or you can book through your trusted tour operator to see availability.

Besides this lodge, you can choose to stay at Ocean Village Club or Mzima Beach Residences. These lodges are the other top options in the luxury sector of accommodation at Shimba Hills National reserve.

Best midrange Hotel.

Midrange accommodation at Shimba Hills National Reserve is led by Searenity Beach Villa. This lodge is just 800 meters from the headquarters of the park. It is themed in love and romance.

This exquisite setting provides skeptical views of the game reserve that is just steps far from it. The rooms for resting are self-contained and elegant. The atmosphere the park surrounds is cheerful during day and colorful in the nights.

Customer care at this lodge is delightful with meals and other services are delivered in time. Expect to pay 198 USD each night for a well packaged accommodation at Searenity Beach Villa.

Seaclusion Diani Beach, Elevan Pearl Boutique Hotel and Asha Boutique Hotel are the top most alternatives if not comfortable with this lodge.

Best budget friendly Hotel

Sonrisa Villas is the best budget friendly lodge at Shimba Hills National Reserve. It is 3 miles far from the park with tented accommodations too. Its services are slick and affordable. The meals are perfect and the environment I cozy.

The prices per night for a couple at this beachfront accommodation is 120 USD inclusive of meal plans. Its counter parts in the budget friendly stays are little Sawa Sawa Beach House and Kijani Cottages.

Best times to visit Shimba Hill National Reserve.

On planning your trip to Shimba Hill National Reserve, you need to consider quite a number of aspects. Among the few aspects you should consider is what times of the year you should give this wildlife conservation a visit.

Shimba Hills National Reserve phases through two weather seasons, i.e. the wet season and the dry season. The wet season runs from November to May whereas the dry season runs from June to October.

In the dry season, the park is typically dry with less dense vegetation. The skies are very clear with the sun vibrantly raying in the savannah grasslands of this park. The trails in the reserve are very smooth and dry making movements on all safaris easy, quick and enjoyable. This makes it very easy for tourists to spot wildlife.

The wet season however is characterized by a bust of infant wildlife and plentiful bird species in this game reserve. The vegetation is lush green and densely vegetated with vibrant green.

The biggest challenge of this weather season is probably the muddy and almost unnavigable terrains of this wildlife conservation after the heavy rain pours. Shimba Hills National Reserve records high rainfall totals in this season that make park activities have a few inconveniences in their punctuality.

The skies are often dark because of the ever present nimbus clouds lashing a rain pour at any moment. This makes spotting of wildlife challenging, plus recording photographic memories is quite unclear too.

The dry season is statically the best time to visit Shimba Hills National Reserve because of its so many advantages to its bio and its less flaws.

How to get to Shimba Hills National Reserve.

Travelers to this game reserve can arrive most conveniently by road, specifically through a trusted tour company. With a tour company safari, expect to pass through Kenyan traffic swiftly. These companies can cover this 530 km stretch from Nairobi to the park location in under 7 hours. The drivers are skilled and know whatever quickest routes to get to the park. Some of the routes these drivers may use are not traceable on GPS platforms.

Alternatively you can travel by self-drive through the smart road network from Nairobi to the Kwale County. For those unfamiliar with Kenyan roads, the GPS platforms are quite accurate and provide less traffic routes to the reserve. Going to this game reserve, you need an all-wheel drive vehicle to cruise through the mixed Kenyan roads terrain. Visit @Your Drive for the most reliable all-wheel drive vehicles at the fairest prices.

In conclusion, Shimba Hills National Reserve is an astounding stop for wildlife enthusiasts. With the high level of significance it holds in the sustainable tourism efforts of Kenya.