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 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 rabbit-sized animal distantly related to elephants that trots through the leaf litter and is found only in these coastal forests. Three distinct forest types sit side by side, from open cynometra thicket to tall mixed forest, and each holds different species. Elephants are present in small numbers. A visitor centre at the gate arranges guides, without whom finding anything is unlikely.

Background

The forest reserve lies 110 km north of Mombasa, and at 420 km² it is the largest fragment of coastal forest left in East Africa. It was first protected in 1943 and gazetted in the 1960s, and several forest, wildlife and research bodies manage it jointly with community groups; the national park, gazetted in the late 1980s, covers only a few square kilometres on its north-western edge. Besides the Clarke's weaver, found nowhere else, the Sokoke scops owl, Sokoke pipit, Amani sunbird and spotted ground thrush are shared only with a forest in Tanzania, and the forest also holds the Sokoke bushy-tailed mongoose and Aders's duiker. Next to it lies Mida Creek, a mangrove wintering ground for shorebirds such as the Terek sandpiper and crab plover.

Source: Wikipedia, "Arabuko Sokoke National Park"

What you'll find

• 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.

Things to know

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.

Key facts