Haller Park

Bamburi cement quarried this ground until the 1970s and left a moonscape of bare limestone. Rene Haller, working for the company, began an experiment in rehabilitation: planting casuarina, which tolerated the conditions, introducing millipedes to break down the needles into soil, and building up from there until the ground could support indigenous forest. Fifty years on it is a working ecosystem with a palm forest, ponds, fish farming and a wildlife park holding giraffe, hippo, buffalo, waterbuck, crocodiles and a reptile house. Feeding sessions for the giraffes and the hippo Sally are the fixtures of a visit. The park is a genuinely interesting case study in ecological restoration as well as an easy outing from the north coast beaches, and it is popular with families and school groups.

History

In 1952 Cementia Holding looked for a site on the East African coast for a cement factory, and Felix Mandl chose one 12 km north of Mombasa. When the quarries were to be rehabilitated, only three of 26 trial plants survived, among them the coconut palm and the casuarina, which was used first to colonise the bare quarry floor (Wikipedia, Haller Park (Kenya)).

What to look for

• Giraffe feeding - the scheduled feeding platform session.
• Hippo feeding - the daily session at the hippo pond.
• Restored forest - the woodland grown on former quarry floor.
• Reptile house and ponds - crocodiles, snakes and the aquaculture areas.

When to go

Year-round, opening daily. Feeding times are fixed and worth checking on arrival since they structure most visits. Mornings are cooler and less crowded; weekends bring local families.

Things to know

It is a rehabilitated quarry with enclosures rather than a wild park, so expectations should be set accordingly. Paths are hot and humid at midday. The park gets busy at feeding times. Some enclosures are dated.

Nearby

Mombasa marine park is on the coast; Mombasa old town lies south.

Key facts