Shimoni Slave Caves
Shimoni, Kenya
About
This is a small fishing village about 75 km south of Likoni whose name means 'Place of the Hole' and is derived from the method of entry to the system of Slave caves (to the west of the village, nominal entry fee (collected directly by the local people to help pay for the dispensary and educate the children), daily 0830-1030, 1330-1730) . 'Shimo' means cave in Kiswahili and the vast network opens directly on to the beach. There are several caves, once joined together and reputed to extend some 5 km inland. Due to silting, the floor has risen, blocking off access to the further caves, and what you now see is only the main entrance cavern. The next cavern, immediately behind this one, which is now only accessible via a hole in the roof of the cave, has a spring of completely fresh water in it. It is said that the caves were used by slave traders to hide the slaves, before they were shipped out to the slave market on Zanzibar. The other story associated with these caves is that they were used as a secret place of refuge by the Digo people during their intermittent battles with various marauding tribes, including the Masai, through the ages. Archaeological findings indicate that these coral caves, with their lovely stalactites, have been inhabited for several centuries. Today they are home to a thriving population of bats. Shimoni is best known as the take-off point for snorkelling excursions into the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park and Wasini Island and for deep-sea fishing trips into the Pemba Channel, which is a 35-mile stretch of the ocean that separates Tanzania's island of Pemba from the mainland. It reaches depths of 823 m, and is home to three varieties of marlin – black, blue and striped – as well as sailfish, spearfish, swordfish, yellowfin tuna, tiger shark, mako shark and virtually every game fish popular with anglers.
