Kiwengwa Cave, Zanzibar

The Kiwengwa caves were officially discovered in 2002, although the islanders of the area have used them for hundreds of years. Located just 20 km on the East Coast of Unguja from Stone Town, the Kiwengwa caves are part of the Kiwengwa-Pongwe Forest Reserve and ideally located for tourism. The reserve is a popular attraction amongst visitors to the area.

The North and South cave are open to tourists, but the others are set aside for the wildlife. 

The Kiwengwa/Pongwe Forest Reserve is an important biodiversity spot in the coral rag zone and is rich both in faunal and floral species. The faunal species reported from the reserve are: Endemic species of red colobus monkey, Aders's duiker, sykes, blue monkeys, sunni antelope and several species of snakes. 

The caves are very interesting and unusual stalactite caverns, with light filtering down through naturally formed holes in the ceiling and the roots from the plants above dangling down like electric wires from above. Climbing through these unique geological formations is an interesting day trip combined with hiking along one of the forest trails nearby.

Initially, the caves were used as a place to worship the ancestors, by bringing gifts to the holy stones in the caves. Later, they became a place for the wealthy to keep their leopards. Towards the end of the slave trade in Zanzibar, slaves were incarcerated in their murky depths, awaiting transfer to the Middle East.

The surrounding forest has always been a source of income to the local population.  Unfortunately, a variety of animals, insects and bats live in this environment, and are negatively affected by the ensuing clearing and deforestation of the area.

As a result, the caves and forest were proclaimed as the Kiwengwa-Pongwe Forest Reserve in 2005, in order to protect the wildlife and the unique caves.

In order to generate an alternative source of income for the locals, a plan was set aside to develop this reserve as an ecotourism destination, called the Kiwengwa Ecotourism Project and the local community is responsible for running the park and all the proceeds benefit them directly.