We visited the Taita Hills between Tsavo West and Tsavo East, spending one full day there. After Tsavo East, we spent another day in the Shimba Hills, before proceeding to Watamu, the Kenya Coast. Both of these spots are beautiful, relaxing, and refreshing. They rise just high enough to provide some respite from the heat of the surrounding areas (hot semi-desert in the case of Taita; humid coastal forest in the case of Shimba). We stayed in wonderful, simple little lodges in both places.
Taita Hills are visited on weekends by Nairobi residents for peace, quiet, and enjoying the beauty of the forests they hold. They are a wonderful place for birders to visit at almost any time, because they host three endemic species found nowhere else on earth: The Taita White-eye, Taita Thrush, and Taita Apalis. We found several thrushes early in the morning, but unfortunately the forest was quite dark, so photos are not great. It took some work to find the other two endemics, especially the apalis, but we managed, getting very nice views of all three, even if photography was difficult. It's also simply a stunningly beautiful place, so even without birds it was very enjoyable.
Taita Hills are visited on weekends by Nairobi residents for peace, quiet, and enjoying the beauty of the forests they hold. They are a wonderful place for birders to visit at almost any time, because they host three endemic species found nowhere else on earth: The Taita White-eye, Taita Thrush, and Taita Apalis. We found several thrushes early in the morning, but unfortunately the forest was quite dark, so photos are not great. It took some work to find the other two endemics, especially the apalis, but we managed, getting very nice views of all three, even if photography was difficult. It's also simply a stunningly beautiful place, so even without birds it was very enjoyable.
