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.