Caves in Kilifi County
Chasimba Cave, Rock: An Other-Worldly Site
22 km west of Takaungu at Chasimba village stands an oddity worth your visit. Just off the C111 Road is a conspicuous landform. Quite unmistakable, this whacking-great monolithic rock outcrop, composed of a dark-hued calcium carbonate, is made especial by its location in the bucolic setting of Chasimba, near Kaloleni, which conforms to a stencil of high temperatures and limited water resources often ameliorated by the presence of limestone. In this backcountry, the isolated rock mass, masked by screes and jagged pinnacles, rises abruptly in thick bush.
It’s also approachable from Mazeras, 22 km northeasterly of via C111 Road, for a chance to sight this unusual landform. The outcrop, where Chasimba caves are found, occurs in three main varieties: a dark bluish-grey, compact and generally unfossiliferous limestone, a light grey coral limestone, and a pisolitic limestone that is well interstratified with the other two. The exposure and outcrop can be followed, without a break, from Mazeras to a point immediately south of Kaloleni.
The layers of stones form canvases of different designs, with random openings that let in light and look like Cathedral domes. Clinging to Chasimba rocky outcrops are 30 plant species that are classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Chasimba habitat is unique in that it harbours unique geological features found nowhere else, and with cultural identity and spiritual significance. Chasimba cave is part of Kilifi Caves, proposed as a tentative UNESCO world heritage site, alongside Panga ya Saidi and Mawe Meru caves.
These caves system holds evidence that shows that inhumation of the dead is a cultural practice shared by Homo sapiens and the Neanderthals. This outcrop within the mining area is both of cultural significance to the local communities living around it, and has unique biodiversity that is endemic and thus found only on this outcrop in the whole world. The Chasimba outcrop and the associated caves is a living heritage space where fork visit for spiritual healing and prayers.
Chasimba rock and caves is preserved in-situ for rehabilitation, restoration and development into a recreational area for the preservation and conservation of both the tangible and intangible heritage, complete with the unique fauna and flora in this site for enjoyment by global citizens besides the local communities. Inside the caves, there are no animals and you can freely explore, but some sections are very dark. Locals pay Kes. 500 and foreigners Kes.1,000 to enter.
Tentative UNESCO World Heritage Sites are locations that a country has proposed for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These sites undergo a rigorous evaluation process by UNESCO’s Committee to assess their cultural, natural, or mixed significance. Countries propose these sites to gain international recognition and protection, promoting their value for preservation for future generations.
Index of Sites in UNESCO Tentative List
Baringo County - Lake Baringo National Reserve, Elgeyo Marakwet County - Marakwet Irrigation Furrows, Homa Bay County - Mfangano & Rusinga Islands, Kajiado County - Olorgesailie Prehistoric Museum, Kakamega County - Kakamega Forest National Reserve, Kilifi County - The Historic Town of Gedi, Kilifi Caves (Panga ya Saidi, Chasimba, Mawe Meru), Kwale County - The Eastern Arc Coastal Forest, Shimba Hills National Reserve, Makueni County - Chyulu Hills National Reserve, Meru County - Meru Conservation Area, Mombasa County - Fort Jesus, Nakuru County - Lake Nakuru National Park, Lake Naivasha, Hell's Gate National Park, Narok County - Masai Mara Ecosystem, Nyeri County - Aberdare National Park, Taita Taveta County - Tsavo National Parks, Tana River County - Tana Delta Complex
Related Pages: The 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kenya
Touring Kilifi County offers a delightful blend of coastal beauty, lovely beaches, cultural richness, natural wonders, and fascinating ancient ruins. Whether you’re seeking pristine beaches, historical sites, or vibrant cultural experiences – or a combination, Kilifi promises a memorable and enriching travel experience.
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Explore Destinations Near Vipingo Ridge Golf Resort
A Guide to Kilifi County
A Summa Digest of Kilifi
About Kilifi Way Back When
95 Destinations in Kilifi County, arranged as one would visit these - south, north, east then north - with aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Shimo la Tewa Prison, Mtwapa Creek, Mtwapa Ruins, The Moorings, La Marina Restaurant, Jumba la Mtwana, Kikambala Beach, Vipingo Mosque Ruins, Kinuni Ruins, Kuruwitu Conservancy, Neem Tree House, Vipingo Ridge, Chasimba Cave, Kilifi Sisal Plantations, Vuma Cliffs, Old Town Takaungu, Takaungu Creek, Kitoka Ruins, Takaungu House, Beneath the Baobab Festival, Kilifi Creek, Kilifi Bridge, Kilifi Boatyard, Distant Relatives Lodge, Mnarani Ruins, Mnarani Snake Park, 3 Degrees South, Kamili House, Mazingira Park, Bofa Beach, Saltys Kitesurfing Bar & Restaurant, Bush Baby Kilifi, Casa Dalton, Panga ya Saidi Cave, River Rare Geo Park, Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Mwangea Hills Forest, Watamu Marine National Park, Uyombo Ruins, Rock & Sea Resort, Mida Creek, Sudi Island, Kirepwe Ruins, Watamu Beach, Ocean Sports Watamu, Medina Palms, Hemimways Watamu, A Rocha Eco Lodge & Conservation Centre, Watamu Treehouse, Garoda Beach, Tribe Watersports, Kite House, Local Ocean Conservation, Bio-Ken Snake Farm, Kiburugeni Ruins, Mgangani Ruins, Mida Creek Nature Camp, Gede Ruins, Kipepeo Butterfly Farm, Malindi Museum, Henry the Navigator Monument, Malindi Pier, Malindi Pillar Tomb, Malindi Waterfront Park, Portuguese Chapel, Vasco da Gama Pillar, Malindi Beach, Ndoro Sculpture Garden, White Elephant Sea & Art Lodge, Malindi Crocodile & Snake Farm, Malindi Marine National Park, Malaika Beach Sunbeds & Restaurant, Sawa Sawa Dhow Excursions, Lo Sfizio Coffee Shop, Lennox Art Gallery, Falconry of Kenya, Hanging Gardens, Malindi Golf & Country Club, River Sabaki Delta, Marafa Depression, Dakacha Woodland, Mekatilili wa Menza Site, Mambrui Dunes, Mambrui, Mambrui Tombs, Kibirakani Ruins, Che Shale Hotel Kitesurf Center, Ngomeni Shipwreck, Luigi Broglio Space Centre, The Nyika Plateau, Galana Conservancy, Ngala Mausoleum, Rabai Museum, Kaya Kambe Shrine, Thomas Wakefield Memorial Church
Know More About Kilifi County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including strip maps, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
Kilifi can be split into three zones – the narrow coastal plain, varying in width from 3 kms to 20 km; few coastal hills lying below 30 ms asl, and the Nyika Plateau rising from 100ms to 340 ms asl.
For the greater part of the year, the climate along the coastal plain is pleasurable, though humid. Temperature ranges between 21C and 30C along the coast, and between 30C and 34C further inland.
