Lamu County Government in Kenya is set to introduce game viewing in the Dodori National Reserve.

Lamu Governor, Issa Timamy, says his County Government is holding talks with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in a bid to introduce game drives in the reserve.

The 877 square kilometre Reserve in Lamu County encompasses an important woodland and forest area that historically supported large population of lions, elephants, buffaloes and coastal topi.

Dodori National Reserve has been recognised globally as an important cultural heritage area and a prized conservation site by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Conservation International, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Timamy says the County will introduce game drives in the reserve once they get authorisation from the KWS.

The introduction of safari in the reserve, he added, would enable tourists coming to Lamu for leisure to enjoy game drives. “Over the years, Lamu has been depending on beaches, monuments and culture, but soon we want to add safari as our new tourism product,” he said. “Visitors to the archipelago will have a chance of watching wildlife just within the County for them to save costs of travelling far away for game viewing.”

At the Dodori coastal area, waterholes are frequently visited by gazelles, antelopes and waterbirds. Common herbivores include hippopotamus, bushpig, warthog, buffalo, topi and waterbuck.

The reserve also has bird species characteristic of the coastal forests of eastern Africa including globally threatened species such as Sokoke Pipit.