23rd November 2003

A paradise in Bamburi

About 20-minutes drive from Mombasa city is a striking testimony to what mankind can do to replace and add beauty to a destroyed environment.

Haller Park, formerly Bamburi Nature Trail, is one of the greatest and most stunning attractions in East Africa.

Managed by Baobab Farm, a subsidiary of Bamburi Cement Ltd. the park is an amazing story of success by man in assisting nature to heal from the wounds that he has inflicted on it. It is also testimony that these challenges are worth every effort and cent spend.

At this unique park, man, animal and nature coexist in scintillating harmony. This unimaginable beauty evokes the memories of the creator’s world.

Unlike the Biblical Garden of Eden, Bamburi had first gone through the destruction of excavation but it has now been restored to its near-original state.

The story goes back to the 1950s when Bamburi Portland Cement Company was started. About a quarter of a million years before, the area that it Haller Park today was part of the sea. The factory began extracting the coral limestone to process cement and, within a decade, the place was a bare and rugged landscape of rocks.

In 1971, the dream of restoring the area to its original state nearly fizzled out, but the company’s agronomist, Dr. Rene Haller (the park is named after him), initiated a programme to rehabilitate it.

There was no topsoil and thus the first challenge was to fill the area with nutrients-rich soil. It was a tough task that took close to two decades rehabilitation.

Since rehabilitation started, the guiding principle has been to let nature arrive at its own balance. Very minimal artificial dimensions were taken to hasten the process.
Today, what was once a scandalous destruction by man is an authentication of a bravura achievement – one that has brought nature back to its own trail. At the former cement quarry, everything now seems to be in its rightful place in this recreated “Garden of Eden” that was once the bed of the Indian Ocean.

The challenge and efforts put here have elevated Haller Park to become one of Kenya’s finest attractions for lovers of ecotourism.

Opened in 1984, the park comprises a variety of attractions. The former quarry wasteland offers a crocodile and fish farm, a snake park, a beautiful serene palm garden, and a game sanctuary among others.

The road to rehabilitation has been long, but the patience has paid huge dividends.
And though the project has received many international environmental awards, Dr. Haller was guided by the underlying principle that commitment to the environments is much more than winning awards.

A guided tour tailored to the requirements of the visitor gives one a chance to experience the miracle of this rehabilitated land.

Sunset Terrace: Situated at the Bamburi Forest Trails. This is a beautiful meeting place for an evening drink with a friend or family. It is also an ideal venue to hire for group outings, company cocktails, weddings or family get-togethers. You will enjoy your company as you watch the breathtaking setting of the sun over the subtly-lit Sunset Pond and plant garden with playful fireflies illuminating the night.

Whistling Pine Restaurant: It offers a unique dining experience right in the heart of the Haller Park. The restaurant offers a wide range of game meat and mouth-watering sea-food, fish dishes and a la carte menu. While dining, you will enjoy a spectacular show of crocodiles being fed and the waterbuck wandering past.