Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, isn’t
in the Taita Hills actually, but in the hill locked lowlands about 15km west of
Mwatate on the Taveta road. It took us merely 4 and a half hours drive to check-in at the Salt Lick game lodge from home (Arusha,
Tanzania, including clearance at the border). Don’t ask me the speed I cruised
at. Set up in 1973 by the Hilton hotel chain, the sanctuary is now owned and
managed by Sarova Hotels, who successfully balance wildlife and human needs in
an environment that, while not being fully natural, seems to work well for
both.
For most of the year,
the sanctuary is full of wildlife. There are more than fifty species of large
mammals and three hundred species of birds here, and its small size means
the rangers always have a good idea of where the key animals can be seen. It’s
not uncommon to spot up to 20 different species of Mammals, among them lions,
cheetahs, large herds of elephant and buffalo, and all the other southern
plains grazers and up to 20 species of birds in a morning game drive. During
the drier times of the year, when the animals are not dispersed, the water
sources beneath Salt Lick Lodge, on the southern side of the sanctuary,
provide waterhole game-viewing, including an excellent ground-level hide.
We, my son Mohamed
and I were more interested in the birds here. Apart from the 100+ species of
birds we managed to spot in 3 two hours morning drives (open vehicle – yay), I
did manage to have a good sight of the Taita Falcon, Retz's Helmeted Shrike,
Hartlaub’s Bustard, Barbary Falcon, Pangani Longclaw and the Taita Fiscal Shrike
among many others. The Taita Thrush and White-eye are endemic and only found in
the hills, which is of course for another time. I will surely be back.
The service was
excellent and the food sumptuous. Not to forget the surprise anniversary cake
the staff prepared for us. It brought a big smile on Umme's face. I highly recommend a visit to this sanctuary I witnessed elephants first hand from as close as 1 metre. Spent hours
learning how they behave. Truly loved every bit of it. My son Ebrahim would agree with me.
I attach some of the breath taking moments I managed to capture with my Canon pal.
