Shimoni Slave Cave

“listen as a million slaves tell you how they walked so far, how many died in misery, while the rest were sold in Zanzibar”

Welcome to Shimoni. In Swahili, the word “Shimoni” means “the place of the cave”.

The caves were formed millions of years ago, by tiny coral polyps, under the sea. There are several caves, once joined together and reputed to extend some 5 kilometers inland. Over the millennia, the coastline has been forced upwards by movement of the tectonic plats, until what was once a beautiful coral reef is now dry land.

For centuries the caves were used as “Kayas” which were Shrines and as hiding places, where the local people would go to avoid attacks by marauding tribes from the hinterland. It is hard to imagine a more secure refuge!

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, at the height of the infamous slave trade, the big slaving dhows from Arabia came down on the monsoon winds to east coast of Africa, returning with their miserable human of slaves. It is almost certain that these caves were used by the Arabs as a slave pen, where the slaves were held pending the arrival of the ship to take them to Zanzibar. Old rusted pieces of chain were found in the cave.

By visiting the caves, you have can help our efforts to better the lives of the local community. This project is run by Shimoni community and helps to buy medicines for the dispensary, books for schools and hopefully in the future better water supply.

Entrance fees for the caves are 400ksh, once you book tour with coral spirit the ticket is already paid for you.

To book one of our tours fill this form