Running down a 21 metre cliff in the deep of the Shimba Hills forest are the Sheldrick Falls. A closer look and one might imagine the hard rock behind the cascade is actually crying, but oh what a beautiful sight this Kenyan waterfall is.
The waterfall’s name comes from David Sheldrick, a British-Kenyan who once flew over the Shimba Hills Forest sometime between the 1940s and 1950s and came upon the cascade, crushing the rocks below with such might before opening up to a small pool. The sight was serene, and in true European fashion, the man named this find after himself.
But this is just one version of the waterfall’s discovery.
Looking at its location on the map, and going through historical books and narratives of indigenous Kenyans, one will find that the inhabitants of the Shimba Hills area were the Mijikenda. The Mijikenda who for the longest time have called the coast home, have previously built and set up kayas, their sacred worship sites, may have had settlements some distance from the Shimba Hills Forest where the waterfalls ran. So why didn’t they claim it? There’s no saying that they didn’t, but if we are to examine the area – a coastal forest (the second largest one in East Africa) – and with the understanding we have now through the Kenya Wildlife Service, Shimba Hills is a fortress to a number of wildlife such as the rare Sable antelope, elephant shrew and bushy tailed mongoose to name a few, it is likely that the Mijikenda of past times avoided the area to avoid crossing paths with wild animals they dare not stand a chance against. This doesn’t mean that one or two cheeky boys or a group of initiates didn’t find temporary solace or embark on adventures within and around the waterfall area.
Over time, the Forest and subsequently the Sheldrick Falls became part of the Shimba Hills National Reserve situated in Kwale County and maintained by KWS.
Have you seen this spectacular cascade? Have you posed for pictures in its tears, or perhaps taken a relaxing swim in its pool? As you know, pictures are worth a thousand words, and we appreciate stories too.
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