Arabuko-Sokoke Forest

Arabuko-Sokoke covers around four hundred square kilometres behind the coast and is the largest remaining fragment of the coastal forest that once ran along East Africa, which makes it one of the most important bird sites on the continent. Its specialities are genuinely local: the Sokoke scops owl, a tiny owl described only in the 1960s, the Clarke's weaver which breeds nowhere else known, the Sokoke pipit and the Amani sunbird, along with the golden-rumped elephant shrew, a dog-sized relative of nothing much that trots through the leaf litter and is found only in these forests. Three distinct forest types sit side by side, from open cynometra thicket to tall mixed forest, and each holds different species. Elephant and buffalo are present in small numbers. A visitor centre at the gate arranges guides, without whom finding anything is unlikely.

What you actually see

• Endemic birds - Sokoke scops owl, Clarke's weaver, Sokoke pipit and Amani sunbird.
• Golden-rumped elephant shrew - the forest's odd and charismatic mammal.
• Three forest types - distinct habitats within a short distance.
• Forest tracks and trails - walking and driving routes from the main gate.

When to go

Dry seasons for the tracks; birding is good year-round with migrants from November. Early morning is essential for the birds, and the scops owl means a night or dawn outing. Mosquitoes are abundant.

Honest expectations

Without a guide, most visitors see very little: the specialities are small, quiet and hard to find. Tracks are sandy and 4x4 helps. Facilities are the visitor centre and a couple of simple options nearby. The forest is hot and humid, and walking is slow going.

Nearby

Gede ruins and Mida Creek are adjacent; Watamu and Malindi lie on the coast.