What is found in Haller Park?

What is found in Haller Park? Haller park one of the popular Kenya safari tour attractions in the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa in a place called Bamburi. It is 497.6 km from  Nairobi via Mombasa road. The man-made sanctuary  was transformed from a quarry wasteland into an ecological area. Haller park has received the United  Nations Environmental program top Global 500 top Roll of Honour Awards and today this small preserve is a model to other reclamation projects.It holds different variety of plants and animals species which serve as a recreation spot for tourists , locals and it is one of the most visited places in the coastal town of Mombasa together with other historical sites like Fort Jesus. What was once limestone quarries is now a thriving ecosystem of forest, grasslands and ponds with walking trails for you to view the fenced wildlife. Different from other wild safari tours in Kenya here things are a bit unique despite it hosting wildlife such as hippo, giraffe, antelope, buffalo,Zebras,Elands, Sitatunga ,waterbuck, serval cat , vervet monkeys  among others as well as bird species, such as eagle, sandpiper, weaver, stork, kingfisher, ibis, owl, heron, egret and many more. The park also has plenty of butterflies, Millipedes, Spiders , Dung beetle, Honey bee among  others. The sections of the park include the game sanctuary, reptile park, fish farm, crocodile pens, giraffe viewing area and palm gardens. The park is more of a zoo than a safari experience.

History of the Haller park

A company called Cementia Holdings started searching for a site in East Africa to build cement factory. Felix Mandl found a place 12 km north of Mombasa with time the cement production grew over years from 1.2 million tons to 25 Million tons soon the area became a wasteland.The Bamburi cement company decided to rehabilitate the quarry something that looked impossible task.Rene Haller was hired as manager in 1959 and was given the task to beautify the area. Haller began reforestation in 1959 ,he planted twenty six plants but on three survived; namely the damas, the coconut palm and the Casuarina.

Casuarina

Casuarina is a plant adopted to grow under severe conditions with its branches similar to pine needles with strong outer surface bark to prevent it from losing water. After five years the casuarina began self-seeding and colonizing the surrounding area.

 The tree grew tremendously and after 10 years the casuarina trees reached a height of 30 m.  Dr. Rene Haller, a Swiss naturalist trained in horticulture and related scientific fields. She spent years that eventually turned into decades studying and experimenting with dozens of plant varieties, trying to find those that would thrive in the poor soil and salty water table. After 20 years some of the trees had a trunk circumference of 2.4 meters and the humus layer was 10 cm deep. Many of the trees began to collapse after 20 years. However, they had accomplished their task and created a friendly environment conducive to new plants. The tree trunks were used for building timber and firewood.

Attractions of Haller park

Wildlife sanctuary 

This is home  to Hippos-Sally and Potty, a buffalo, Elands, Oryx and a group of water birds like Eagles, Herons, Egrets, Cormorants and Kingfishers. Owls Banda that hosts a Verreaux Eagle Owl.

Animal orphanage

 This a quarantine and home to rescued animals, either found sick, injured, orphaned or stranded in the wild. Giraffe Feeding platform for feeding giraffes in the park, Crocodile Pens, home to over 90 crocodiles

Reptile Park 

The park hosts to more than 20 species of snakes, lizards, tortoises and terrapins. Common snakes found in the park are Pythons, Mambas, Cobras, Bush snakes and Vipers.

Fish Farms

 There are several interconnected small lakes, ponds and swamps made on the quarry floor that is home to various birds, fish, reptiles. Fish Farm where fish are farmed, bred and sold. Fish farmed are Nile Tilapia, Catfish, Red Tilapia, Guppies.

Gardens

The Haller park has a variety of plant species introduced during the quarry rehabilitation. The plants introduced to this parks are now a wonderful scenery.

Conferencing facilities

Just at the centre of the park is an auditorium with a seating capacity of 80 people. The serene surrounding inspires creative thinking for group sessions and team buildings.

Butterfly pavilion

There is a botanical garden where butterfly rearing and conservation takes place. A leisurely walk around the exhibition house gives you the opportunity to see variety of butterfly species in their iridescent colours and beauty.

Forest Walk,

 The park has a considerable stretch of forest that a visitor gets to walk though while observing the beautifully transformed quarry featured with mangroves, palms, and indigenous shade trees, coastal forests where several of these are rare and endangered.

Education tours

The park offers a series of learning experiences for learners in the context of mining and quarry rehabilitation. These activities are designed to respond to the needs of learners of all categories.

Haller Park Mombasa Entry Fees

                       Adults             Child

Citizen       kshs 500           ksh200

Residents   kshs 1400      kshs 600

Non residents    20USD      15USD

Education Groups

1. Lower Primary (Kindergarten- std 3)

Teacher: Ksh 300

Student: Ksh 200

2.Upper Primary (Std 4 – Std 8)

Teacher: Ksh 300

 Student: Ksh 200

3. Secondary

Teacher: Ksh 300

Student: Ksh 250

4. Colleges, universities

Teacher: Ksh 300

Student: Ksh 250

Opening Hour

The park is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and the visitors are required to leave the park by 6.00pm.

The best time to visit

Haller park is accessible throughout the year with modernised road network but a visit from 1pm would be good, to leisurely walk through the nature trail and chill on benches and ensure you are at the giraffe hill within the sanctuary by 4pm.

Accommodations  available around Haller park

The park being around Mombasa city ,there are a wide range of available accommodation facilities ranging from midrange to the most luxurious of international standards. Some of the hotels , lodges and resorts available include: Prideinn hotel,Voyager Beach Resort, Baobab and many more.

Every year, over 160,000 visitors come to Haller Park to stroll at their own pace or take guided tours in English, French, German, Italian or Swahili. For more than 21 years, adults and children have delighted in this wildlife respite from the noise and heat of the big city. But how did a quarry wasteland that was used to supply cement become the lush and thriving eco-system that now delights visitors from all over the world?