Nguuni Nature Sanctuary
Known as the 'Green Lungs of Mombasa', Nguuni is a 100-hectare acacia-and-grassland reserve tucked into the Nguu Tatu Hills, just ten minutes from Bamburi Beach — and almost entirely off the tourist radar. Come at dusk and watch giraffes move across the ridge as the sun drops behind the hills.
A conservation story hiding in plain sight
Nguuni is a project of Baobab Trust, a non-profit funded by Bamburi Cement, and like Haller Park it was carved out of degraded industrial land and painstakingly restored. The sanctuary covers roughly 100 hectares of acacia woodland, grassland, and wetland, and is home to giraffes, oryx, elands, waterbucks, and ostriches roaming freely with no predators to worry about — making it genuinely walkable on foot without a vehicle.
Rain-fed ponds attract an impressive bird list: over 300 species have been recorded here, including pink-backed pelicans, Egyptian geese, yellow-billed storks, and seasonal visitors like the long-tailed cormorant (January–February) and fulvous whistling duck (July–August). The sanctuary also houses Kenya's first free children's library, with over 11,500 books, inside its Education Centre.
How to experience it properly
Arrive early morning or late afternoon — the animals are most active, the temperature is bearable, and the golden light makes every shot effortless. The giraffes at the feeding zone are relaxed around people and will sometimes approach of their own accord, making for close encounters that feel genuinely wild rather than staged.
You can also bring a bicycle and cycle the sanctuary's safari roads, or simply find a spot near the ponds at sundown and watch the Nguu Tatu Hills turn amber. Call ahead on +254 700 337 068 before visiting, as the sanctuary occasionally closes for private events.
Nguuni Nature Sanctuary on video
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