A patch of old coastal forest behind Diani's hotels that has survived for centuries because it is sacred. You enter wrapped in a kikoi, with a Digo guide, on the community's terms.
The kayas were fortified villages of the Mijikenda peoples, built inside forest clearings from the 16th century. The villages are gone, but the forests remain as sacred places, protected by councils of elders and now listed by UNESCO.
Kinondo is a 30-hectare grove at the southern end of Diani and one of the few kayas open to visitors. A guide from the local Digo community leads a loop of about an hour to an hour and a half on flat, sandy paths, past huge strangler figs, baobabs and lianas, and to the edge of the sacred clearings where ceremonies are still held.
Along the way the guide points out medicinal plants and explains how they are used, along with the beliefs and rules that have kept the forest standing while the coast around it was cleared. You may see colobus monkeys and forest birds overhead. A visit to a nearby village can be added.
Before entering you wrap a kikoi around your waist. Inside, no hats, no pointing, no cutting or taking anything, and no going where the guide says not to. Respect the rules; this is a working shrine, not a park.
Slow, shaded and led entirely by your guide.
Pay at the visitor centre, wrap your kikoi and hear the rules before you go in.
The guide shows the plants used for healing and how each is prepared.
Walk among huge trees and lianas; listen for colobus and turacos.
Stop where the guide indicates; some areas are only for elders.
Return to the entrance, or continue to the village for a community visit.
Tuk-tuk or taxi from anywhere in Diani; about an hour by road from Mombasa via the Likoni ferry.
Pay the entry and guide fee at the visitor centre; it goes to the community conservation project.
Follow every instruction from your guide; the kaya is a living sacred site.
Mombasa practical notes →Wikimedia Commons photographs are used under their licences.
