What once used to be a house at the edge of the forest.

There’s a place not far from Diani Beach where Buffaloes still come out to graze and villagers of Maumba know that it would be fatal to be walking out at night. To get to the Maumba village, you go South towards Msambweni and then turn Westwards when you get to Gazi Village.

The coconut plantation of Gazi village

The road cutting through the coconut plantation is extremely sandy and rough with huge pools of water when it rains. There is a forest where the plantation ends. A quiet desolate area with no houses and lots of massive baboons. To get to Maumba Village, one takes a road that cuts right through the forest.

Massive trees of the forest.

With its massive trees and thick undergrowth, an eerie place to be on a bike especially when one remembers how bad tempered buffaloes can be. Getting to Maumba is not easy considering how loose the sand is and the steep hills just before you get to the village. The villagers walked me to the edge of the forest where I was shown buffalo tracks, but to see the real buffaloes I would need to go into the deep dark forest and I wasn’t ready for that.

No one to pick the firewood here.

What is incredible is how well that part of the forest is preserved with little minimal interference. There is little human occupation around that area and it is a beautiful quiet place.

The last shop, which was closed at this time.

The sandy path at the edge of the forest.

A homestead at Maumba village.

Here are some more pictures of rustic Shimoni that I feel compelled to share. Hope you enjoy!!

Quiet morning at Shimoni, thats Wasini Island in the horizon.

Old house that belonged where the English colonial administrator lived.

Goats find solace from the heat in the 80 year old building.

Front view of the grand old house.

Local women use the grand house  as a meeting point.

A dhow, commonly used to transport people, spices and goods between Shimoni and Pemba.

The charming simplicity of Shimoni.

Did  you know that Shimoni actually means ‘The place of the cave’ in Swahili? These caves have a fascinating history going back many centuries. The age of the caves is evident with the huge stalactites and stalagmites inside that complete the horror feel. Shimoni’s history revolves alot around the cave.

A long time ago, people used the caves for spiritual rituals or as hidding places whenever there was a war. Later on, at the height of slave trade, the same caves were used by Arab slave traders as holding pens for slaves before they were shipped of to Zanzibar and onwards to Yemen. It is beleved that the slaves were held here for 2-3 weeks, before being packed  in dhows -upto 1000 at a time. As many as 400 died during that voyage and were thrown overboard to be eaten by sharks.

Shimoni lies further South and currently is a somewhat sleepy fishing village with resorts and companies that specialise in scuba diving, dolphin safaris providing accommodation and recreation for visitors. If you are in Diani Beach with a day to spare, consider a Shimoni tour and you will not be disappointed.

Getting to Shimoni, its a small place, find the directions of all the places you would like to go to here.

Shimoni’s thoroughfare.

Sign Outside the historic slaves, entry is subject to rates above.

Staircase leading to the dark, bat infested caves.

The remains of the chains where slaves were shackled to the  cave walls.

Cave has a skylight?

The stalactites in the cave are simply amazing!

Theres the exit. Cave tour is over

Vacations to Diani Beach for some involves holidays where most of the hours of a day are spent in the sun with sunglasses on reading a new bestseller. However, between the trips to take a dip in the ocean or the pool and afternoon siesta’s beneath the palm trees, there is a lot of time to discover. If only one is willing to veer off the trodden path.

This article is about taking that different route to spice up your holiday with activities that are not in the usual holiday itinerary and that many people don’t usually do.  So here are  3 off beat things yo can do while at Diani Beach.

1.Go to the End of Diani Beach

Chale Island

Would you like to know where Diani Beach ends? Literally go to the end of the road? Well, you can and make it much more fun by inviting a couple of friends and hire Quad-bikes to take you there. To find the quads, get to Baharini plaza and ask for directions from there, it is about 200m past the plaza and it is easy to spot the quads parked outside under a tree. Kick the quads on Southwards where your guide will take you through the the resort areas of Diani, Kinondo, Galu and eventually through a desolate but amazingly beautiful area towards Chale. The earth road passes through the Kinondo forest before getting to Chale. There, you will be wowed by the beauty of Chale Island.

2. Dive into Africa

The rock pools of Tiwi

What? How? You can actually dive into Africa, but you need to go to Tiwi Beach first . Really, there is a place in Tiwi where you can dive into an oddly shaped rock pool that actually resembles the map of Africa. Here, you can snorkel or dive into the pool and enjoy the colorful underwater kaleidescope in the clear waters of the Indian Ocean. You can hire the snorkeling gear from the local operators or the bring your own and spend a few delightful hours in the warm-clear water and enjoy a superb break especially for those on all inclusive holidays.

3.Find Trinkets

Engraved Gourds

The are tens of shops/wooden shacks and open air vendors along Diani Beach where you can go for a hunt of unique little treasures that please your eyes. Some of the trinkets are unimaginative and generic but amongst them you will find some exquisite things like a nicely carved bone pedant or a polished coconut shell jewelry box. You have to see a lot of things to find your treasure but there is something for everyone. Bring your best haggling skills and you will be surprised at how little you spend in this treasure hunt.

If you are going to be arriving at Diani Beach for your holidays this season, your top priorities will include accommodation and attraction sites you plan to visit whilst here. Thus planning is inevitable folks before you leave your home country to holiday in Diani Beach or elsewhere.