As its name suggests, the Shimba Hills National Reserve stands on an assortment of hills that rise steeply from the coastal plains. These hills are complemented by a surrounding escarpment that also ascends steadily from around 120 metres to 300 metres across the plateau and as high as 450 metres to become the hills of Marare and Pengo.
Rich Biodiversity
Located just 3km from Kwale Town, this reserve is enshrined in East Africa’s second largest coastal forest ecosystems. It is a paradise of lush coastal rainforest, woodland, and grassland. This variety of biomes means the Shimba Hills National Reserve is endowed with diverse flora and fauna. Strikingly, over 50% of the 159 rare plants in Kenya are found here in Shimba Hills, making it a meaningful ecosystem for Kenya’s plant biodiversity.
The reserve offers more than just a floral paradise. It boasts of the highest density of the African Elephant species in the country. Remarkably, Kenya’s conservation story cannot be complete without the mention of Shimba Hills National Reserve. It is a safe home for the last herd of the endangered large ebony-coloured Sable Antelopes with curved horns. The presence of these Eastern Sables is the reason Shimba Hills bears the name: ‘The Paradise of the Sable Antelope.’
Moreover, the dense canopies of the Shimba Hills Forest are home to 111 bird species. 22 of these bird species are endemic to the coastal region, and they include: Ostrich Eagle, African Hawk; Falcon, Cuckoo; Guineafowl, Kenya Crested; Honey guide, Greater; Hornbill, Crowned; Quail, Blue; Sunbird, and Uluguru.
How Shimba Hills National Reserve Came To Be
Despite all this majesty, Shimba Hills National Reserve didn’t come to be in a single doing. It grew in immense humility to its present size of about 300 square kilometres. It was first conceived in 1903 with the gazettement of the Shimba Hills as a National Forest. The incorporation of the grassland areas into the ecosystem followed suit in 1924. After these and several subsequent extensions, it was doubly gazetted as the Shimba Hills National Reserve in 1968.
While there’s an abundance of wildlife in Shimba Hills, the dense forests of the reserve make most animals spend a better part of their time deep inside the forests. This makes it hard for forest viewing to happen. As a result, there are viewpoints located inside the reserve. There’s the elephant hill which overlooks the valley as it trickles down the ocean, which gives the best viewpoint for seeing elephants in the reserve. There is also Marare Dam which offers a clear view for the birds and animals in the reserve, while also doubling up as a watering hole which attracts many animals to the reserve.
Human-Wildlife Conflict in Shimba Hills
Just like there’s a piece of bad in every seed of good, the reserve’s glory isn’t devoid of a shortcoming. With over 500 elephants gracing the reserve, there has been intense human-wildlife conflict in the past involving elephants and subsistence farmers living near the reserve.
Efforts have been made to abate this conflict, and that’s why the Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary stands as a buffer between the Shimba Hills National Reserve and farmlands. Established in the 1990s, it acts as a migratory corridor where elephants can access foliage that’s within their natural domain without venturing to people’s farms.
Do you know of other remarkable attractions in the Shimba Hills National Reserve? Let us know in the comments.