KISITE MPUNGUTI MARINE PARK & RESERVE

Home of the Dolphins

Unspoiled, beautiful, and sun-kissed, the Kisite Marine Park was established to protect the scenic islands and special habitats of a wide range of endemic marine animals and breeding migratory birds. It lies in the coral gardens south of Wasini Island and encompasses three small coral rag forest islands, each with considerable areas of fringing reef. Kisite is one of the most rewarding snorkeling locations on the coast. Visitors can also enjoy bird watching, diving, and of course, sunbathing. It also encompasses the unspoiled marine habitat around Kisite and Mpunguti Islands and is situated along the southern coast of Kenya. As Kenya’s largest marine protected area, and a popular tourist destination, the park is home to some of the most diverse and plentiful marine life seen in the region: 250 recorded fish species, 70 resident dolphins, 56 genera of corals, 10 species of mangroves and dozens of sea turtles, whales, seabirds, gastropods, and endemic crustaceans such as the coconut crab. The fringing and patch reefs, channels, seagrass meadows, and mangroves in the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve provide critical habitat to many ecologically and economically important species, which fuels the prominent, yet sustainable, tourism and small-scale, local fishing economy in the region.

 The park has been recognized by the IUCN for its effective and comprehensive management efforts, using a range of SMART technologies in surveillance and wildlife monitoring efforts to further its mission of marine conservation. Designated as a marine protected area in 1978, Kisite-Mpunguti has successfully showcased its impressive biodiversity and management efforts over the decades. To recognize these accomplishments, the Kisite-Mpunguti Mark Park & Reserve was recently awarded a gold-level Blue Park Award.