Shimba Hills National Reserve

IUCN Category II - National Park

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The Shimba Hills National Reserve is a 193 km ² large nature reserve and is located about 30 km southwest of Mombasa in Kenya. It is bordered on the northeast by the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary, through which enlarges the Wildlife Reserve.

Shimba Hills is only about 30 km from the famous Diani Beach. In the coastal climate of the annual precipitation is 1200 mm. The hilly landscape rises 130-450 meters above sea level and is characterized by mountain forests and lush green meadows. Ernest Hemingway devoted the landscape his novel " The Green Hills of Africa ".

Famous is the Shimba Hills National Reserve is due to the simultaneous presence of horses and the rare sable antelope. Besides elephants, cape buffalo, and various monkey occur. Furthermore, three Masai giraffes were settled, which, however, have not yet propagated. Nights in the reserve are possible in the Shimba Hills Treetop Lodge, the Sable Bandas and four campgrounds.

Due to the high elephant population politically and financially large-scale resettlement of several hundred elephants was set in motion since the beginning of 2006. The animals will be reintroduced in the north of Tsavo East National Park.