Colobus Trust

The Kenyan coast has so much more to offer than ‘sun and sand’. In the South Coast forests teem with Colobus, Sykes, Vervets, Bush Babies and Yellow Baboons. The Colobus Trust which was set up to protect primates is a great place to spend an hour or two while on holiday at the coast. There are guided tours, a learning centre and nature trail. The kids will especially love an afternoon spent there.

Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary

Mwaluganje Elephant sanctuary is located in the South Coast in  Kwale District. Together with the adjacent Shimba Hills the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary forms the Shimba Hills Ecosystem characterised by rolling hills, giant ancient cycads and winding water shades.This is an awe-inspiring place to visit with cliffs and views of the Indian Ocean. However, the main attraction is the elephants. There are as many as 150 elephants residing in the sanctuary. On occasion, family groups visit males during the mating season, or cross the sanctuary as they travel between feeding areas.

Once or twice a year, several related elephant families join up and travel as a unit of 200 females and calves (of all ages). They gather in the Shimba Hills and move into Mwaluganje during the rainy season (December, and March/April). Such large herds usually last for no longer than three to four days, and are consequently a rare and magnificent sight to see. Like human families at reunion, these gatherings are marked by noisy greetings (i.e. trumpeting).

Those interested in plants will find the sanctuary to be a must-visit where you can see Dinosaur Cycads and Baobab trees. Dinosaur Cycads are fan-like plants that evolved around 300 million years ago, and can be sighted while driving across the Mwaluganje Sanctuary. They were most plentiful during the Jurassic period (180 million years ago), when dinosaurs roamed the earth. All six of Kenya's Cycad species (Eucephalartos hildebrantii) are found in Mwaluganje. This species can grow to be 150 years old. Today's cycads are confined to tropical and sub-tropical regions.

The baobab tree, adansonia digitata, is one of Africa's most unusual deciduous trees. The interior of its trunk (reaching up to 9 meters (30 feet) in diameter) and the lower branches are soft and spongy and can store large quantities of water. Baobabs are specially adapted for long dry seasons. They are leafless during this time of year, thus reducing transpiration or water loss. The baobab is an extremely slow growing tree, reaching up to 18 meters (60 feet) in height.  Truly giant specimens may be several thousand years old. Bats pollinate the flowers of the baobab, and many other animals depend on the unique tree for food and shelter. Look out for them in the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary.

Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary was launched in the early '90's largely to reduce local human/elephant conflicts, which were on the rise due to both more elephants and more people. Elephants would destroy crops and people would retaliate. More than 200 families have voluntarily contributed land to the reserve, agreeing not to farm this important elephant habitat. Today, they live nearby and manage the sanctuary, earning more from tourism than from farming, a critical factor in ensuring the survival of these elephants.

The sanctuary has also enabled the community to build school classrooms and enjoy a steady water supply and better roads. Mwaluganje is currently receiving support from Eden Wildlife Trust, Born Free Foundation, East African Wildlife Society and Pact Inc to build the community's capacity to run the sanctuary sustainable for the benefit of present and future generations.