Paradise in a quarry

Dec 14, 2007

A THIRTY-minute drive on a trail through the Haller Park and the fresh environment in the artificial forests is quite an escape from the heat and indeed an exploration when in Mombasa. After a visit to Bamburi Cement plant, we toured the park.

By Peter Kaujju

A THIRTY-minute drive on a trail through the Haller Park and the fresh environment in the artificial forests is quite an escape from the heat and indeed an exploration when in Mombasa. After a visit to Bamburi Cement plant, we toured the park.

Dr. Paula Kahumbu, the general manger Bamburi Eco systems, was the perfect tour guide, explaining every detail of almost everything thing in the sanctuary.

Giraffes stray in the artificial forest, which is so green that it looks natural.
But Sabini Baer, the systems manager at Bamburi, explains that the trees were planted on former quarries.

As we enjoyed the refreshing beauty of the forest and its surroundings, my colleague Gerald Tenywa was busy hugging trees and carrying giant millipedes.

Each of us planted at least a tree, promising to return when the trees have grown.

The park is home to many coastal birds, crocodiles, monkeys and snakes, as well as several tree species. in their cage, the crocodiles lay silent and relaxed. The popular tourist destination with about 130,000 visitors annually is part of Bamburi Cement’s initiative to rehabilitate the environment.

There is a popular story of a young hippo named Owen and a 130 year-old tortoise called mzee, which became friends in 2004.

“A frightened young hippo separated from his family by the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, adopted an ancient tortoise as his ‘mother,” explained Kahumbu.

She said the tortoise which had been a loner for a number of years accepted the baby hippo as his own.

And a cold glass of tasty passion fruit juice at the Whistling Pine Restaurant overlooking a beautiful pond filled with crocodiles is memorable. it is impossible to fail to find something to buy at the gift shop, filled with hand-made souvenirs and beauty accessories.

Foreign Tourists pay about Ksh600 to enter the park, while natives are charged Ksh200. but with the EAC in place, things may change to a flat rate for East Africans.

A warm coastal breeze and a great view of the Ocean at the White Sands Inn was to die for.
Paula says they have the same rehabilitation plans for Hima Cement in Uganda.

“In Uganda, it is advantageous because we have soil which is used to cover up the quarries and high rainfall to facilitate faster growth.

And we will use indigenous trees at Hima,” she said.
Besides the exciting visit, childhood stories about evil spirits amajini in Mombasa could not skip my mind, although I saw none.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});