35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The excellent park to be there.
Tarangire national park is a very nice and beautiful park, if you are in Tanzania, don't miss to be there.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Kruger National Park by Harry and Grace Mateman
Of course one of our favorites. The south gives you much opportunity to see the big five. There are many roads were you won't see many other cars. There are varying landscapes and especially the Luvuvhu river we would recommend.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Golden Gate Highlands National Park by Harry and Grace Mateman
Beautiful mountain scenery, but not many animals or birds to see.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Mokala National Park by Harry and Grace Mateman
A new park a believe. Excellent accommodation and restaurant. We saw animals we didn't see in Kruger (tsessebe and sable antilope). Only dirt roads in the park.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Marakele National Park by Harry and Grace Mateman
There is a unfenced tented camp, beautifully situated at a lake where we stayed a couple of days. You can drive up the mountain for a lovely view, or drive into the bush to see rhinos and other animals from nearby (watch my video of Marakele at youtube). Mix of dirt and tar roads.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Quiet park with nice accommodation, good destination for a couple of days.
We spent 3 nights with a hired 2wd car. We stayed at a cottage at Leokwe camp (Mapungubwe East), which was very well equipped. There are some baobab trees and beautiful rocks in the camp and there is even a small swimmng pool. There are no fences at Leokwe camp, so wildlife can come to your doorstep. We saw klipspringers and many birds while having breakfast. In the evening we heard some noise in the dark ant saw a african civet, an animal we had never seen before. When we stayed here in februari 2010 we saw a couple of elephants near our cottage.
There are not many roads suitable for 2wd, but some more for 4wd. Now, as two years ago, we didn't see much wildlife in the eastern part of the park. You can go to the treetop hide and watch bee-eaters at the Limpopo river and a little further view the confluence of this river with the Shashe river. At the reception we were told that there were lions seen in this part of the park, we can hardly believe that, as several cows were roaming free in the park. Conclusion: in the eastern part of the park you won't see many wildlife, but the secenery is fine and you'll get "bush vibes".
In the western part we saw many more animals, especially from the Maloetswa hide.
We spent two mornings at the hide (and were all allone then) and saw a lot of animals and birds coming for a drink. In our video you can see what animals we saw within a couple of hours. The big five however was only represented by elephants (and there are a lot of them in the park). The tented camp at the western part also is unfenced and is situated in lovely open forest.
There are more campsites in the park which we didn't visit.
The weather was dry and very warm (in februari even warmer).
To travel from the eastern to the western part of the park you have to go out the gate at the reception as there is no internal connection between the two parts.
You can drive thorugh a graded road (20 km) or take the tar road to Pont Drift (40 km). We would not recommend the graded road for 2wd cars. Though when we drove this road two years ago we saw many elephants along this road.
When you have booked an accommodation you must check in at the reception at the eastern part of the park. Recently they have opened a small restaurant near the reception where you can have a meal. But remember from the reception to Leokwe camp the distance is 14 km, so it takes you at least half an hour to get back in time.
If you wish you can book a walk or drive at the reception.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Tanzania by Sheikh. Ghulam Sarwar
Tanzania is the country which is most famous in the world for the safari parks.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Harry and Grace Mateman
There are many parks in South Africa. Some boast of the big five, some are quiet and have lovely scenery. So you have much opportunity to chose what you want.
In 2010 we spent 16 days insides parks and now, in 2012, even 19 days.
If we stay healthy this won't be the last time.
Sometimes you must be patient or lucky. As we travelled from north to south in Kruger last april (14 days) we saw our first lonely lion only after 7 days! The next day we saw some 12 lions in front of our car!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Hell's Gate National Park by Christopher Haslett
Hell's Gate is a small but stunningly beautiful property whose main attraction is the ability to walk or cycle in! The animals are limited to the hoofed species: gazelles, antelopes, zebras and a few scattered buffalo and giraffes. But the experience of tracking them on foot makes this park well worth a day visit. And it doesn't get any cheaper: you pay just US$25 for a 24-hour entry, and with no vehicle to rent, your only other expense is your food and drinks.
I spent another $15 for a camping permit, and enjoyed lovely views of the cliff-lined pastures as the sun set. You are supposed to carry in your own wood or charcoal, but I found a generous pile of dead wood that the park rangers had left behind for campfires. I was told a leopard sometimes relaxes on the rocky ledge above the campsite when the sun comes up; I woke up early to try and spot it but had no luck.
The narrow, winding gorge makes a good walk, though on weekends it will be crowded with Kenyans. It is dry most of the time, but floods dangerously when it rains. Tragically, seven people drowned in a flash flood there in April 2012. New warning measures are expected to be put in place to prevent such incidents in the future.
A bike rental for the day should cost 500 shillings, and you can rent one at the turnoff for Elsa Gate (the first park gate as you travel along South Lake Road). Pedestrians can get off the "matatu" public bus here and just walk in. The gate is supposed to be 2 km in from the road, but it is really only 1 km.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A good one-day safari if you are on the coast
This is a good mini-safari for anyone who is staying on the Kenya coast, especially the South Coast. However, I would not recommend traveling to the coast just to visit this reserve. If you are in Nairobi, you have better options within 3-4 hours of the capital.
What is so nice about Shimba Hills? It is a lovely patch of forested hills only 30 minutes' drive from the beach hotels. That means you can spend the day viewing animals in an authentic African setting, and still squeeze in a sunset swim on the beach before dinner.
It is also a pocket-friendly safari, at least by today's standards. The reserve's low entrance fee allows the tour operators to keep the cost of a full-day safari to around US$100, and that includes a gourmet lunch at Shimba Hills Lodge (drinks extra).
On to the animals: You should be aware that this reserve does not host lions or cheetahs, and there are no rhinos. So you will not see all of the "big five" species here. The occasional cat may sneak in, but they are officially banned because of the presence of the sable antelope, a majestic, large antelope with a purple-ish hide that is exclusive to this reserve. Come to Shimba Hills, and you can boast that you have been to the last refuge of this species.
Elephants are quite numerous both inside and outside the reserve, so numerous that the Kenya Wildlife Service has had to remove some of them in the past, driving them to Tsavo West National Park a hundred km away. However, because of the plentiful forest in Shimba Hills, spotting them is not guaranteed. I have seen at least one on every visit, but I have met people who did not. The elephants love the shade and tasty fruits on offer in the forest, and they come from far and wide for this perk. You could pass very close to an elephant loitering in a forest without even knowing.
There is a small giraffe population, but they are easier to spot as they tend to stay in the more open savannah near the main gate. They are of the Maasai sub-species, and I was told they had been imported from Amboseli National Park. But since this is an authentic ecosystem and not a zoo, that fact didn't seem to detract from the safari experience. Transportation of animals between parks is not uncommon these days.
Buffalo are another attraction here. Their still, lump-like forms, usually seen from far away, don't stimulate me as much as an elephant with its complex personality. There are probably a handful of buffalo herds in Shimba Hills, and their tendency to stick to large, open fields means you will definitely see them on your visit.
There are many warthogs! Normally pathologically shy, these beasts graze in large groups just a few metres from your vehicle. I have heard a few people comment that they had never seen so many warthogs in one place. The exceptionally lush grass may have something to do with this.
Of the other hoofed animals, I liked the sable antelopes if only for the fact that they are extremely rare. Huge bush bucks, almost the size of moose, make a tremendous noise when they smash through the forest after being surprised. The other well-known gazelles and antelopes are also found here in good numbers. I have, however, seen so many Thompson's gazelles around Kenya that my eyes seem to pass right over them.
It should be noted that the safari drivers will make every effort to ensure that you see the animals you want to see. They are radio-dispatched, and if elephants are scarce, for example, they will call other drivers to try to locate them for you. But as in any other park, there is no money-back guarantee!
The roads in Shimba Hills Reserve are well maintained and are passable in any weather. You can enter with your own two-wheel drive car if you wish, as long as it is in good condition and the KWS staff don't think it will have to be towed back out. Drivers cannot leave the roads to go cross-country. The road network is so good, in fact, that it gives the reserve a slightly artificial feel, akin to the "safari parks" in the UK with their excessive signposting. That is the only reason I don't give Shimba Hills 5 stars for "bush vibe". But it does make a do-it-yourself game drive a breeze.
Feel like swimming in a waterfall? Shimba Hills is one of just a few parks in Kenya where you can peel off and bathe in a pool under a crystal-clear waterfall, with no need to worry about crocodiles or hippos! To visit Sheldrick's Falls (named after the conservationist David Sheldrick) you must be prepared to walk for 45 minutes in fairly hot, humid weather, so bring a large water bottle. But the idyllic 15-metre waterfall, surrounded by lush forest, is well worth the effort. The escorted walk is offered with every day-safari, normally after the morning game drive and before lunch.
As mentioned above, the midday meal is served at Shimba Hills Lodge, which is also inside the reserve. It is a treehouse-style lodge - actually resting on piles, but with several large trees growing right through the middle. No one could say that it is not a very enchanting place, at least to eat. The dining tables are arranged on a covered veranda that overlooks a small pond and the forest beyond. This is not a Tsavo-style waterhole that attracts elephants, lions and other large animals. Here you may see gazelles sneaking a drink, and you can always watch the resident hawks swoop down to pick up balls of ugali (Kenyan maize cake) thrown by the waiters. There is also a large monitor lizard living right under the lodge amid the supports!
Aside from a few rarely-used campsites in the reserve, Shimba Hills Lodge is the only tourist-quality accommodation in or near the reserve. For details and reviews of the hotel rooms, it is best to consult Tripadvisor or similar sites.
Shimba Hills Reserve is not Africa's greatest wildlife park. But its convenience, coupled with a few unique charms such as the waterfall, have made it my "local" when it comes to safaris. Offering a real African bush experience a stone's throw from the beach, it waits there for me whenever I crave a change. I have not yet tired of it.