Mombasa Safari Shimba Hills Reserve 3 Days 2 Nights

Our 3-day/2-night Shimba Hills National Reserve safari from Mombasa/Diani focuses on a coastal rainforest experience, featuring the rare Sable Antelope, elephants, and Sheldrick Falls.

The tour begins with a pick-up from your hotel/residence at 0700 Hours – 0800 Hours, followed by extensive game drives, a 2-hour hike to the waterfall, and overnight stays at specialized lodges such as Shimba Hills Lodge.

3-D ay Shimba Hills National Reserve safari from Mombasa/Diani Itinerary 

Day 1: Arrival & Initial Exploration

0745 Hours – 0900 Hours: Pickup from Mombasa or Diani Beach hotels
0900 Hours – 1000 Hours: Drive to Shimba Hills National Reserve, passing through coastal scenic areas
1000 Hours – 1230 Hours: Entry and morning game drive to spot elephants and sable antelopes.
1300 Hours – 1500 Hours: Check-in at Shimba Hills Lodge and lunch
1600 Hours – 1800 Hours: Evening game drive, ideal for catching active wildlife
1830 Hours: Dinner and overnight at the lodge overlooking the waterhole

Day 2: Nature Walks & Waterfall Hike

0630 Hours – 0830 Hours: Early morning game drive (prime time for predators and animal activity)
 0900 Hours – 1000 Hours: Breakfast at the lodge
1030 Hours – 1300 Hours: Guided walking tour to the spectacular Sheldrick Falls through lush green forests
1330 Hours – 1500 Hours: Lunch at the lodge
1530 Hours – 1730 Hours: Relax or take a guided walk around the lodge to spot birds and monkeys
1900 Hours: Dinner and overnight at the lodge

Day 3: Final Game Drive & Departure

0630 Hours – 0800 Hours: Final early morning game drive
0830 Hours – 0930 Hours: Breakfast
1000 Hours: Check out and slow drive out of the reserve
1200 Hours – 1300 Hours: Return to your hotel in Mombasa or Diani 

This 3-day vacation is perfect for honeymooners, friends, and families who want the ultimate bush break from the beaches of Mombasa.  The safari takes you to Shimba Hills National Reserve, located in the Coast Province of Kenya, 50km south of Mombasa town in the Kwale district.

The Shimba Hills National Reserve is home to many elephants and is the only place in Kenya where tourists can see the rare Roan and Sable Antelopes can be sighted. The Reserve is also known for its excellent birding opportunities, and twitchers can search for the Croaking Cisticola or the Zanzibar Red Bishop. 

Only an hour’s drive from Mombasa/ Diani beach, the reserve activities include guided walks to the Sheldrick Falls – a great opportunity to see the bird life in the forest. Game drives are more adventurous than on the savannahs as animals are harder to spot.

You can also go for sundowners on Pengo Hill, which faces west, and watch the sun drop down below the horizon. On a clear day, you can see the Tsavo Plains and Mt Kilimanjaro. The climate is hot and humid, with an average annual temperature of 24°C (75°F), but the area benefits from coastal breezes that also create morning mist.

There are more than 600 elephants in the park, and a fenced elephant corridor links the park with the elephant sanctuary at Mwaluganje Forest. In addition to elephants, there are also buffalo, waterbucks, hyenas, warthogs, leopards, baboons, and monkeys. Masai giraffes and ostriches have also been reintroduced to the park.

There are many birds, including 111 different recorded species. There are even more birds to be seen during the spring migration. Bird shooting is only permitted outside the reserve. Some unique things to do at Shimba Hills National Park include taking a guided night drive. You may see leopards and cheetahs, and you will certainly hear the hyenas howl in the eerie darkness.

You can also buy a unique souvenir at the gates: a piece of paper handmade from elephant dung!

Day 1: Mombasa – Drive to Shimba Hills National Park

0830 Hours: Depart from your hotel after breakfast and drive to Shimba National Park.

1000 Hours: Arrival at Shimba gate. Game drive through the park.

1045 Hours: Disembark from your vehicle, go down the hill, and a 45-minute gentle walk takes you to the breathtaking, spectacular waterfall. You have reached the drop-off point at Sheldrick Falls. This is a fitness exercise, and it’s recommended for physically fit people.

Watch water splashing atop a 30-meter-high cliff, forming a natural pool. Casual sportswear is preferable. Observe the flora and fauna of the tropical rainforest. This pristine wonderland of Rolling Meadows and forests of giant primeval trees harbors a wide variety of wildlife, including some 500 elephants that favor the refreshing fruit of the Borassus palm.

1300 Hours: Drive through the park to Lodge/ Camp. Check in, refresh, and get set for a fabulous lunch in our main restaurant

1400 Hours: Lunch has been served, and you have the day at leisure. The bar is open for drinks. Games (indoor) are also available for those interested. The zone is a soft speaking zone, as hard talking scares the game.

1645 Hours: Drive 10 km south of the lodge to our nature walk zone. This is a guided tour, and at times, you come close to the wild game.

1800 Hours: Sit around a bonfire as the resident naturalist takes you through the History of the lodge, park, and its inhabitants. The sun is now preparing to sleep, and you watch the beautiful rays, which lift the sky as it goes down the horizon. On a clear day, you can see the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania.

1900 Hours: Drive back to the lodge and get refreshed as you wait to have a sumptuous dinner in the main restaurant. Our bar is open for drinks, and you have the night at leisure.

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Kutazama House-Lodge
Mid-Range Accommodation: Shimba Hills Lodge
Budget Accommodation: Mukurumuji Camp, Ndovu Bonde Treehouse

Meal Plan: {Lunch & Dinner}

Day 2: Full Day Shimba Hills National Reserve

0630 Hours: Start your day with an early morning game drive in Shimba Hills National Reserve. The most distinctive of the Shimba Hills National Reserve’s many species is perhaps the rare and impressive Sable Antelope found in the same habitats as several large herds of Buffalo.

Sable antelopes are not numerous in Kenya, and viable populations are unlikely to exist elsewhere than in the Shimba Hills.

Unspoiled and one of the least-visited of all Kenya’s game reserves, the Shimba Hills combine rolling grasslands and forest, hill and valley, and shadowy animals with superb insect habitat, making it a delight for all nature lovers.

0900 Hours: Return to Shimba Hills lodge for breakfast. After breakfast, enjoy a guided walk to the famous Sheldrick Falls. You will have the opportunity to view these fantastic falls erupting in the middle of an equatorial rainforest. After lunch, relax at the lodge overlooking a waterhole where you can view wildlife and birds.

1530 Hours: Later in the afternoon, another Game Drive is planned.

1830 Hours: Later in the evening, you enjoy sundowners in the park, joined by a resident naturalist who will give you an insight into the history of the lodge, Shimba Reserve, and its wildlife.

Activities Included: Nature walk, daytime game drive, lodge-overlook wildlife-watching experience, sundowner, nature discussion, etc.

Accommodation Options:
Luxury Accommodation: Kutazama House-Lodge
Mid-Range Accommodation: Shimba Hills Lodge
Budget Accommodation: Mukurumuji Camp, Ndovu Bonde Treehouse

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 3: Shimba Hills National Park – Drive to Mombasa

0600 Hours: Proceed for an early morning game drive in the Shimba Hills National Reserve with opportunities to view the rare and impressive Sable antelopes. Animals likely to be seen are Elephants, buffalo, Sable Antelopes, giraffes, and the elusive Leopard.

0900 Hours: Return to the lodge for breakfast in the main restaurant.

1000 Hours: Check out of the Lodge/Camp, returning to Mombasa to arrive in time for lunch.

Meal Plan {Breakfast}

Mombasa Safari Shimba Hills Reserve 3 Days 2 Nights Rates Include

✓ Safari Game drives
✓ All meals included while on safari
✓ Professional experienced driver-guide
✓ All applicable Game Park entrance fees
✓ Guaranteed window seating with an open-top
✓ Safari vehicles carry cold drinks and mineral water
✓ High Altitude game watching at Shimba Rainforest Lodge
✓ Round-trip transport from Mombasa to Shimba Hills National Park
✓ 2 nights’ accommodation of your choice in Shimba Hills National Park

Notes

* This tour departs daily, and private departures are also available

Mombasa Safari Shimba Hills Reserve 3 Days 2 Nights Rates Do Not Include

✘ International Airfare
✘Accommodation in Mombasa
✘ Cost of obtaining a passport and visas
✘Gratuity for your professional driver-guide
✘ Sundowner bush cocktails and bush dinner
✘ Gratuity for porters/ waiters at hotels, camps, and airports
✘Personal expenses such as transfers to/ from the airport (supplement airport transfer cost applies for tours starting from the airport)
✘ Personal expenses such as traveling insurance, excess baggage fee, communication charges that include laundry, emails, faxes, and phone calls, beverages including luxury champagne, luxury spirits, beer, and wines during meals or meals not indicated in the itinerary

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