Amboni Caves

The Amboni caves were cut by water into limestone laid down when this coast was under a shallow sea, and they are generally described as the most extensive cave system in East Africa, with ten caves in all, of which only one is used for guided tours. Guides take visitors through with lamps, pointing out formations that have acquired names, a statue of the Virgin used for offerings, and passages that local tradition holds run for great distances inland. Bats occupy the deeper chambers.

Background

The caves lie in Kiomoni ward, off the road from Tanga to Mombasa, 8 km north of the centre of Tanga. They formed about 150 million years ago, in the Jurassic, and the area was still under water some 20 million years ago. The complex covers 234 square kilometres, and its longest cave is reported at 755 m. Of its ten caves only one is used for guided tours, which take about 70 visitors a day. Amboni Limited, a company then running sisal plantations in the region, acquired the area in 1892.

Source: Wikipedia, "Amboni Caves"

What's there

• The main chambers - around ten open chambers of a much larger system.
• The formations - stalactites and columns given names by the guides.
• The shrine - a place of offering inside one of the chambers.
• The bats - colonies occupying the deeper passages.

When to go

June to February; the caves flood in the long rains from March to May and access can close. Mornings are best. Guides are compulsory and arranged at the entrance.

What to expect

Lighting is by hand torch and the floors are wet and uneven. Guides are compulsory and their commentary mixes fact with local legend without distinguishing them. Flooding closes the caves for parts of the year.

Nearby

Tanga is south, and Amani is west.

Key facts