Why this ride
210 km from Mariakani to Mariakani, about 4 h 54 of riding. It goes by way of Fort Jesus, Kaya Jibana, Kaya Kauma and back through Kaya Jibana. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Duruma Kayas and Kaya Kauma
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 210 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 54
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. The Duruma Kayas
Inland from Mombasa, where the coastal plain begins to climb towards the dry bush of the interior, small islands of dense forest stand out from the farmland and scrub. These are kayas, the sacred forests of the Mijikenda peoples, and the Duruma kayas belong to one of the nine Mijikenda groups. Together with others along the coast they were inscribed in 2008 as the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests.
Read the complete The Duruma Kayas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Duruma Kayas is where the day begins. Next is Fort Jesus.
2. Fort Jesus
Fort Jesus stands at the edge of Mombasa island looking out over the entrance to the old harbour, its thick coral-stone walls glowing ochre in the late afternoon. The Portuguese built it at the end of the sixteenth century, to a design by the Italian military architect Giovanni Battista Cairati, to secure their hold on the Swahili coast and the Indian Ocean trade. It changed hands repeatedly over the next two centuries, most famously after a siege by Omani Arab forces that lasted almost three years at the end of the 1690s, and later served as a prison. Since 2011 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the museum inside tells the story of the coast and its many rulers.
Read the complete Fort Jesus write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort Jesus comes up about 26 km into the recorded legs. Next is Kaya Jibana.
3. Kaya Jibana
A kaya is a sacred forest, and for the Mijikenda peoples of the Kenyan coast it was once much more: a fortified hilltop village hidden in the trees, a place of ancestral graves, ceremonies and council. Kaya Jibana, belonging to the Jibana community, sits in the hills inland from the coast between Mombasa and Kilifi, and it is one of a group of kaya forests listed by UNESCO in 2008. People no longer live inside, but elders still guard it, and entry is regulated by customs that visitors should respect: guides, permission, and no cutting or taking.
Read the complete Kaya Jibana write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 71 km into the recorded legs you reach Kaya Jibana. Next is Kaya Kauma.
4. Kaya Kauma
The kayas are patches of forest scattered along the coast of Kenya, each one once the fortified village of a Mijikenda community, hidden deep in the trees for protection. The Mijikenda, nine related peoples of the coastal hinterland, later moved out of the forests, but the kayas remained sacred places, where elders held ceremonies, buried their leaders and made decisions, and where cutting trees or harming the forest was forbidden. That protection has preserved precious remnants of coastal forest, rich in rare plants and animals. In 2008, a group of them, including Kaya Kauma near Kilifi, was listed by UNESCO as the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests.
Read the complete Kaya Kauma write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kaya Kauma, about halfway. Next is back through Kaya Jibana.
5. back through Kaya Jibana
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Kaya Jibana write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Kaya Jibana sits at 124 km, about halfway. Next is back through Fort Jesus.
6. back through Fort Jesus
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fort Jesus write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fort Jesus comes up about 186 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Duruma Kayas.
7. The Duruma Kayas
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Duruma Kayas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Duruma Kayas closes the day.
Leg by leg
The Duruma Kayas to Fort Jesus
The Duruma Kayas → Fort Jesus is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort Jesus to Kaya Jibana
Fort Jesus → Kaya Jibana is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Kaya Jibana to Kaya Kauma
Kaya Jibana → Kaya Kauma is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Kaya Kauma to back through Kaya Jibana
Kaya Kauma → back through Kaya Jibana is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Kaya Jibana to back through Fort Jesus
back through Kaya Jibana → back through Fort Jesus is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort Jesus to The Duruma Kayas
back through Fort Jesus → The Duruma Kayas is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.