So it’s that day when being in the house is boring. Just moved in my new neighbourhood which is relatively quite and nothing to do for the weekend apart from helping the kids do their homework.
To my surprise or let me call it a coincidence,one of my older daughter was doing a story based on the old form of slavery and worship as her school project so she wanted my input . Before I thought of that, a voice interrupted.
“Dad!!! why can’t we go to SHIMONI “? A voice came out clear and precise from my daughter.. she continued “Our tutor told us that they will arrange for a tour to SHIMONI CAVES !!!” I stopped what we were supposed to do and told her to tell her mum and other sibling to dress up for a long journey to SHIMONI straight away even before the school trip.
Yes!!We packed our lunch boxes for the road trip. Crossed over Likoni channel and on the highway to SHIMONI ,Kwale county.
Located further away in the village of Shimoni in Kwale County, the rugged ancient caves of Shimoni are not only a stark reminder of some of the darkest periods in human history but also represent a fascinating historical gem that goes back many centuries. ‘SHIMONI’ a Swahili word meaning a hole has a rich history of slavery where these caves were used by Arabs as escape routes .
The darkest days most memorable part, is that the ancient coral caves of Shimoni served as a pen in which over a million slaves would wait before being shipped to the slave market in Zanzibar, Tanzania & onwards to Yemen between 1860s and 1890s.The slavery route is documented on several journals.
It is believed that the slaves were held in this huge caves for 2-3 weeks, to avoid escape before being ‘loaded’in dhows at a time. As many as 300-400 died due to hunger or torture during that voyage and were thrown overboard to be eaten by sharks.
Shimoni village is located just an hour’s drive from Diani/Ukunda shopping centre. It is a small village on the south coast of Kenya. As mentioned before the name ‘Shimoni’ is a Swahili word that means ‘a place of the hole’ or ‘inside the hole’. The name is derived from the existence of caves by the seashore formed as a result of natural geological forces.
These caves cover over five kilometers inland and have complex tunnels that have been used for different functions and different times. The age of the caves is evident with the huge stalactites and stalagmites inside that complete the horror feel. Shimoni’s history revolves a lot around these caves. It’s quite an interesting story.
A long time ago before the slave trade happened, people used the caves for spiritual rituals or as hiding places whenever there was a war.Infact to date am told people of a similar faith gather in those caves for spiritual nourishment .
Today, Shimoni village is currently a somewhat sleepy fishing village with resorts and operators that specialize in scuba diving, dolphin safaris providing accommodation and recreation for visitors. It also has a jetty port to connect to the famous kisite mpunguti marine park and also to the neighbouring Pemba and Tanga island in Tanzania.
Our Tour guide tells us that locals believes the caves are a living organism as some of the rock pieces have outcrops from the top and bottom forming jaw-like structures.
Pieces of old iron chains and shackles are still visible in the cave which some people argue were used to shackle slaves in order to stop them from running away while others argue that the hooks inside were used to hang animals slaughtered during rituals. For both argument one might be true.
An entrance fee of KES. 400 is charged to non-residents and KES. 100 for Kenyan Citizens to explore the caves and tours are usually between 8.30 am – 10.30 am in the morning and 1.30 to 6 pm in the evening. They have their own guide who has an indepth information about the caves and history.
It’s worth a visit. So much activities …..You can as well go for fishing, scuba diving and boat ride….
Mzedu Kitchen 