Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary
is a private conservation area in southeastern Kenya. It covers approximately 28,000 acres (≈11,330 ha) of savannah, bushland, and gallery forests at the foothills of the Taita Hills and is located in Taita-Taveta County between Tsavo West National Park and the LUMO Community Wildlife Sanctuary. It is bordered by the Mombasa Road to the south, the volcanic hills of the Tsavo ecosystem to the west, and communal land to the east. The reserve is part of the Nairobi–Mombasa route and is therefore easily accessible. Waterholes, spring areas, and open plains provide habitat; and is home to red elephants, buffalo, lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras, hartebeests, impalas, waterbucks, lesser kudus, dik-diks, and over 300 species of birds. Iconic lodges such as Salt Lick Safari Lodge and Taita Hills Safari Resort & Spa are located at permanent waterholes and characterize the region.
The reserve was established in the 1970s as a private conservancy in the wider Tsavo ecosystem and was later reinforced with LUMO (≈48,000 acres) as a wildlife corridor. In the following decades, guided game drives, afternoon and early morning game viewing, nighttime observations at illuminated waterholes, and nature and cultural offerings (including World War I memorabilia) were developed. Socially and ecologically, community partnerships, anti-poaching patrols, and sustainable lodge concepts support the financing of conservation. To this day, Taita Hills is considered an important hotspot for big game and bird watching in the Tsavo complex and contributes measurably to local income, employment, and long-term conservation.
