Shimba Hills day tour from Mombasa: Private 4x4 game drive

Sable antelope live in Shimba Hills, and the pop-up roof puts you at eye level with them.

A private day tour from Mombasa to Shimba Hills National Park with a professional English-speaking driver-guide, 4x4 vehicle with pop-up roof, entry fee and lunch. You're picked up from your hotel at 7am, spend the morning and afternoon on a game drive hunting for sable antelope, elephants, giraffes and big cats, break for lunch at Shimba Hills Lodge, then walk or hike to Sheldrick Falls and other forest sites before returning to your hotel in the evening. Children from age 2 are welcome. Bottled water is provided throughout the day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Shimba Hills National Park tour

• Pick up from hotel at 7:00am
• Drive to Shimba Hills National Park
• Check in at Shimba Hills National Park
• Game drive to see wildlife
• Lunch at Shimba Hills Lodge
• Afternoon tour, walk, or hike
• Visit Sheldrick Falls and other sites
• Return to hotel in the evening

The experience

Shimba Hills National Park sits an hour or so south of Mombasa and holds the largest population of sable antelope in Kenya. The endangered species the park is built around. Your guide picks you up from your hotel in Mombasa, Bamburi, Nyali or Diani at 7am and drives you into the reserve in a 4x4 with a pop-up roof, which means you stand up through the opening to photograph and watch without the glass between you and the animals. The morning is spent on a game drive searching the grassland and forest for sable antelope, elephants, giraffes, big cats including civet cats, and the birds that nest here.

Lunch is served at Shimba Hills Lodge, and the afternoon splits between another drive and a walk or hike through the park's forest and precious sites. Sheldrick Falls is among the stops: a waterfall tucked into the reserve that most visitors to the coast never reach. The guide is a professional English speaker who knows the park and its animals. The vehicle is air-conditioned and the route is set by what the guide spots and where the animals are moving, not by a fixed itinerary. Water is provided throughout the day. You're back at your hotel by evening.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel in Mombasa, Bamburi, Nyali or Diani.
• professional English-speaking driver-guide.
• 4x4 vehicle with pop-up roof and air conditioning.
• entry fee to Shimba Hills National Park.
• lunch at Shimba Hills Lodge.
• bottled water throughout the day.
• parking fees.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (31 to 50 years) · Senior (51 to 95 years) · Youth (12 to 30 years) · Child (2 to 11 years)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 29 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Scenery Adventures Ltd

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want a private vehicle and guide rather than sharing with other travelers: the 4x4 with pop-up roof and the flexibility to stop when animals appear is what makes a morning game drive work, and a guide who knows the park beats a fixed schedule.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 30 years); Child (2 to 11 years).

What animals will I see on the game drive?

Shimba Hills is known for sable antelope, the endangered species the park protects, along with elephants, giraffes, big cats including civet cats, and numerous bird species. What you see depends on where the animals are on the day you visit and how the guide reads the landscape.

Does the tour include food and water?

Lunch is served at Shimba Hills Lodge partway through the day, and bottled water is provided throughout. No other meals or snacks are included.

What is the pop-up roof for?

The 4x4 vehicle has a pop-up roof so you can stand up through the opening to watch and photograph wildlife without glass between you and the animals. It's the main advantage over a closed vehicle on a game drive.

How early does the day start?

Your guide picks you up from your hotel at 7am to reach Shimba Hills at the start of the day when animals are most active. The full tour runs from morning through evening, ending when you're dropped back at your hotel.