SHIMBA HILLS NATIONAL RESERVE, KENYA

Even if your primary interest is the beach and the sun, you should not pass up an opportunity to explore at least one of Kenya's national parks and reserves, and the closest one being Shimba Hills which is easily accessible from the coast of Kenya, Mombasa. Wildlife at this reserve is not as abundant as in the Masai Mara or Amboseli but you can often see the rare sable or roan antelope that does not exist in the latter parks. With little luck, you can find elephants, buffalos, giraffes, huge diversity of birds etc but with difficulty the leopard.

To make the most of your African safari at this reserve, staying a night at Shimba Hills Lodge is recommended. From Shimba Hills National Reserve, the view to the east is magnificent, and the sunrise across the Indian Ocean is beyond description. Shimba Hills Lodge overlooks an emerald of glade of dense coastal rain forest with giant cycads. Leopards if spotted are seen in early mornings and evenings; giant monitor lizards are numerous. Every month more and more of wildlife come down to the water hole to drink and feed thus loosing their shyness.