World Heritage Sites in Kilifi
The Mijikenda Sacred Kaya Forests at the Coast
The sacred Kaya Kambe Shrine, a short distance from Rabai Museum, is one of eleven sacred groves that intertwine the biodiversity of the coastal forest with the long-standing cultural ancestry of the Mijikenda community. These forests hold significant cultural, spiritual, and ecological value for the Mijikenda community. The term Mijikenda means ‘the Nine Towns,’ referring to the nine distinct groups: the Giriama, Digo, Chonyi, Kauma, Kambe, Ribe, Rabai, Jibana, and Duruma.
The kayas, continually used since the 16th century, but abandoned in the 1940s, are now regarded as the abode of ancestors and esteemed as sacred sites, and are maintained as such. Collectively, the eleven major Mijikenda forests that host the Kaya Shrines were inscribed, in 2008, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to their singular value of preserving both culture and the integrity of these forests. Owing to their importance to the resident community, the area around the Kaya shrines have remained practically unchanged to avoid destroying them.
Generally speaking the term “Kaya” refers to the fortified villages that the local people founded in the forested hills of the coastal region. Each Kaya served as a cultural and spiritual center, a place of refuge, and a site for important rituals. Indeed, Kaya, in the native lingua translates as home or as homestead in nearly all nine Miji Kenda dialects. These are also dubbed as Nganasa, the Maasai equivalent for boma or homestead. As it goes, the Kayas were as some point in times used as places of refuge for Waduruma and Wadigo, where they sought refuge from the invading Maasai herders who swayed an extensive territory in pre-colonial Kenya.
Kenya is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites that reflect her rich cultural heritage and diverse natural landscapes; classified as 3 natural sites and 5 cultural sites, collectively embodying valuable heritage and fantastic scenery. These sites are among the priceless assets, not only for Kenya, but of humanity as a whole.
Index of UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kenya
Kilifi County - Gede Ruins, Kwale & Kilifi County - Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forest, Lamu County - Lamu Old Town, Meru County - Mount Kenya National Park, Migori County - Thimlich Ohinga Cultural Landscape, Mombasa County - Fort Jesus, Nakuru County - Kenya's Lake System in the Rift Valley, Turkana County - Lake Turkana National Parks
Related Pages: Kenya's Choices On The Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Site
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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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
What’s The Lay Of The Land In C.05?
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.
What’s The Air Like In Kilifi?
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.
