With the richest avifauna, Shimba Hills has become a classic birdwatching destination in Kenya and any birder will be tempted to explore. Shimba Hills National Reserve is popular for day birding tours from Mombasa and Diani.
Shimba Hills National Reserve has plentiful flora and fauna and the hills host the highest density of African Elephants in Kenya. The Shimba Hills ecosystem along the south coast of Kenya is a top birding hotspot in East Africa. With their low undulating hills and plateaus, unlike the ordinary coastal lowland forests but like the Eastern Arc Mountains, the Shimba Hills present the first break or barrier to the moist rainfall winds from the Indian Ocean maintaining a stable montane forest environment. Shimba Hills is the only Reserve in Kenya with a healthy population of Sable Antelope hence the reason for incorporating the grassland areas into the National Reserve. The restricted Black-and-rufous Elephant Shrew also occurs here together with a distinctive race of the Bushy-tailed Mongoose. The forest also holds substantial numbers of small unique mammals.
Shimba Hills is one of the richest herpetological areas in Kenya; other rich herpetofauna areas include the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kakamega Forest, and Taita Hills The Shimba Hills rise above as the most reptile and amphibian species-rich area in Kenya, uniquely due to the endemic and near-endemic species. A sum of 89 reptiles (47 snakes, 39 lizards, 1 terrapin, 1 tortoise, and 1 crocodile) and 38 amphibian species (36 frogs and 2 caecilians) occur in the Shimba Hills ecosystem. Two frog species, Forest Spiny Reed Frog and Shimba Hills Reed Frog are endemic to the Shimba Hills forests and are believed to be endangered. The little-known and range-restricted Sagalla Caecilian is also found in Shimba Hills. The proximity of the Shimba Hills to the Indian Ocean has resulted in a stable climate, leading to its diverse and unique herpetofauna.
The plants of Shimba Hills are exceptionally rich and important. A total of 1,100 plant taxa are recorded, around 280 of which are endemic to the Shimba Hills area, and nearly a fifth are considered rare globally or in Kenya. This qualifies Shimba Hills Reserve as a center of plant diversity
The butterfly fauna in Shimba Hills is very diverse, with some 295 species (35% of Kenya’s total), including the rare Aubyn Rogers Acraea and the endemic Shimba Mountain Charaxes
Shimba Hills forest is a superb birding area with abundant forest bird species, including three threatened and two restricted-range bird species, and holds 18 of Kenya’s 30 East Coast biome species. Shimba Hills birding tour falls under the Coastal Kenya birding circuit. The grasslands hold localized bird species such as Red-necked Spurfowl, Croaking Cisticola, and Zanzibar Red Bishop. The bird species of concern include Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Fishers Turaco, Spotted Ground Thrush, Sokoke Pipit, East-coast Akalat, Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird, and Plain Backed Sunbird. Shimba Hills National Reserve is a preferred birding destination among bird watchers on Kenya’s coast. Bird species in Shimba Hills include several coastal endemics, restricted to the area, such as the Green-headed Oriole, Afrotropical migrants such as the African Pitta, Mangrove Kingfisher, Forbes-Watson’s Swift, and the Spotted Ground Thrush. From October to April, the migratory birds arrive and add to the already interesting collection of species. Relating to the weather, November and April are peak months for rainfall. Photographic opportunities are excellent in Shimba Hills birding tour
Southern-banded Snake Eagle, Red-necked Spurfowl, Fischer’s Turaco, Green-headed Oriole, Mangrove Kingfisher, Coastal Cisticola, Croaking Cisticola, Siffling Cisticola, Green Tinkerbird, White-eared Barbet, Green Barbet, Spotted Ground Thrush, East Coast Akalat, Plain-backed Sunbird, Sokoke Pipit, Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird, Lesser Cuckoo, Madagascar Cuckoo, Tiny Greenbul, Eastern-Bearded Scrub-Robin, African Pitta.
A full-day birding in the famous Ol Pejeta Conservancy offers a wealth of possibilities, the park hosts exciting bird species and special animals. Ol Pejeta exhibits such a versatile geography, endowed with endless rolling plains, rivers, marshes, and wetlands which are responsible for the great variety and abundance of birds and mammals. There is a lot to see here- fabulous birds, endless splendid wildlife sightings including the alarmingly rare Northern White Rhino. The climate is mostly cool, dry and enjoyable throughout the year.
