GO AFRICA: After a gruelling few days on safari, what better way to relax than to hit the beach. YVONNE MORANheads to the coast to savour Kenya's white sands and turquoise waters
RUINS, AN ANCIENT, vibrant Swahili culture, a sultry, tropical city and traditional villages: there’s a lot more to Kenya’s coast than pristine white sands and turquoise waters.
A beach destination is almost de rigueur after a few days’ safari. Those pre-dawn, afternoon and night game drives can prove surprisingly tiring.
Diani Beach is the most developed coastal location from south of Mombasa to the Tanzanian border. It’s a short and easy road journey from that teeming, hot, humid metropolis. You can also fly to Diani from Nairobi.
Swimming, wind and kite surfing, snorkelling on the nearby reef, scuba-diving excursions, reading, drinking a Tusker beer or two and watching the world pass by are just some of Diani Beach’s attractions.
Upmarket resorts, restaurants and shops add to its cachet as Kenya’s most popular coastal destination. Watch out, however, for sea urchins and jellyfish in the water – and on land, the “beach boys”. They’re always on the look out for an easy sale, or more . . .
Forty Thieves Beach Bar is one of the few hang-outs actually on the beach, so this low-key, constantly humming venue is a popular drinking and dining spot for regulars and tourists.
Drinking a cold beer, munching on good food and reading a great book, while twirling barefoot feet through the fine sand below one’s table gets pretty close to heaven in anyone’s book.
Beach homes away from home during an eight-day stay in the area included The Sands at Nomad (it has a variety of accommodation in its 37 rooms, including lovely, sea-facing cottages); Flamboyant, a former private home of just 10 rooms (the family also owns Forty Thieves and Ali Baba restaurants); and AfroChic, whose boutique accommodation is filled with tasteful, African-themed furniture.
If you’re looking for a more tranquil RR venue than Diani, head to Watamu, a few hours drive north of Mombasa. It’s still relatively unspoiled, but unfortunately is heading down the slippery slope of overdevelopment. The locals are exceptionally friendly to the tourists, who stay either in the town’s small, family-owned hotels, or in the larger, upmarket beach resorts. The friendly beach boys don’t harass tourists to the same extent as on other more touristic beaches, either.
Swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving in Watamu Marine National Park and big game fishing are popular activities in Watamu. Coral gardens, filled with giant coral heads and a beloved hang-out for fish, is the most visited dive site. Parrot fish, massive groupers, octopuses and even whale sharks might be observed in season.
Enjoy a traditional curry at Hemingway’s deck restaurant and check out the big game fishermen returning, proudly showing off their large sailfish and marlin catch. It’s an expensive sport but attracts fisher folk especially from July to mid-April when the seas are calmer.
Avoid Malindi, a little further north. Sex tourism, discos, a profusion of expatriates and too many visitors have eliminated any feeling of being in Africa; walking around at night isn’t safe either. If tiring of too much sun, sand and RR, culture-vultures can always head to the Gedi Ruins, just up the proverbial road from Watamu.
Baobabs and buttress-rooted trees tower over the dimly-lit walls and arches in the large, 13th- to 17th-century Swahili town invaded by forest during the last three centuries. The deserted walled town’s palace, elaborate house of the sunken court, the Great Mosque and a pillar tomb, are worth checking out. These tombs are associated with important men and they’re found all along the coast.
“LIFE MOVES at the pace of a donkey or a dhow (a traditional sailing boat)” in Lamu and it’s virtually free of vehicles, states the Rough Guide to Kenya. The archipelago, which is close to Somalia, possesses a distinct Swahili, African/Arab cultural blend, making it a unique destination on the Kenyan coast. (Stone Town in Zanzibar, another Unesco World Heritage site, is similar to Lamu town.) It’s tough to get to Kenya’s oldest living town overland, but Safari Link, the local airline, flies to the neighbouring island of Manda.
Harambee Avenue, Lamu Town’s principal road, is a misnomer – the winding, narrower than narrow strip is used by donkeys transporting goods from one end of the tiny town to the other, past traditional buibui-clad women, covered in black from top to toe and through the shadows created by the ancient, several storey high stone terraced houses.
There are a surprising number of places to explore for such a small, isolated town on this island. The German Post Office, Swahili House and the fort have all been converted into museums. There’s also Shela Beach, but it’s not recommended to go there alone.
Your lasting memories of Lamu, however, will most likely be of sitting in a restaurant, overlooking the Indian Ocean and observing a life that has virtually remained unchanged for centuries.
If you’re craving urban living after all that tranquillity, head south to Mombasa. There aren’t a lot of things to see, but the 16th-century Fort Jesus and the nearby old town are worth checking out. Built to secure the safety of the Portuguese on the east coast of Africa, it’s more a fortified town than a fort. Ruins of a church, storerooms and perhaps shops are evident. Ascend the flat roof of Omani House for great views of Mombasa and check out the carbon and ochre wall paintings of ships and armour-clad men done by bored Portuguese sentries.
Mosques – there are more than 20 – narrow, winding streets, sometimes elegant fretwork balconies and shutters are the hallmarks of the old town that sees very few tourists. Don’t bother visiting the dhow harbour: there are hardly any of these sail boats in this militarily-restricted area.
Head even further south, close to the Tanzanian border, should you wish to experience village life – with not a tourist in sight. The slave caves (shimo means cave in Swahili) were used to hide slaves before they were transported to Zanzibar. Two bat species, one quite rare, inhabit the dark underground.
Shimoni is a great base for scuba diving in Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park. It’s ranked as Kenya’s best and diving there for several days provided a great opportunity to see all kinds of everything in the Indian Ocean.
Butterfly fish feeding sideways, amazing leaf-like fish, ghost seaweed pipe fish, jackfish busy cleaning a massive grouper and the cute box fish, with their box-like heads, were just some of the marine life observed during several days’ of heavenly diving.
Dive shops in Diani transport snorkelers and divers to Shimoni, from where the water lovers catch a boat to Kenya’s best marine park to observe some of 350-plus species. The day excursion of one or two dives, or snorkelling, a lunch of delectable, fresher-than-fresh crab and a visit to a traditional village on Wasini Island make this a worthwhile trip.
Five dolphins swimming and playing in the ocean deep alongside four entranced divers was the highlight for me. In fact, it was a first in more than two decades of diving.
Go there
Kenya Airways (kenya- airways. com) flies to Nairobi via Heathrow and Amsterdam. Safari Link (safarilink-kenya.com) flies to Kenya’s coast.
Where to stay and where to eat
Where to stay
Diani
* The Sands at Nomad. thesandsatnomad.com. This establishment has a great beach-view restaurant, a variety of accommodation to suit most pockets in a very good location on the beach and is well run by Italians. In the low season (April 1st-30th) room rates start at €154 for a double. Rates in high season (December 22nd-January 5th) start at €273 for a double room.
* Flamboyant. Diani Beach, dianibeachkenya.com. This formerly private house, now converted into a small hotel, is ideal for those seeking something more individual than the many generic-style hotels found along this section of the coast. It’s bright and airy and has a small swimming pool. Room rates start from €125 per person, per night in low season (May 1st-June 30th) and €145 per person, per night in high season (January 1st-April 30th and July 1st-December 31st). There is a 20 per cent supplement during Christmas and new year.
* AfroChic. elewana, elewana.com. This sophisticated boutique hotel, full of African artifacts, is highly recommended for those who wish to splurge. The rooms are individually decorated, the outdoor dining and pool area is beautifully illuminated at night, and spacious gardens offer fine sea views. It’s the perfect romantic spot. For full board in low season (April 1st-July 15th), room rates start at €195 per person per night. In peak season (December 15th-December 31st), room rates start from €335 per person, per night. A supplement of €35-€40 per person applies during the Easter and Christmas and New Year seasons.
Shimoni
* Shimoni Reef Lodge. shimonireeflodge.com. This establishment is a five-minute walk from the village. It has great value (if there are few tourists around, negotiate), and features white-washed cottages with large bedrooms and separate lounge areas, plus verandahs. Full board in low season (April 1st-June 30th and November 1st-December 14th) start at €185 for a double. Rates in high season (July 1st- October 31st and December 15th-March 31st) start at €230 for a double, €140 for a single. A supplement of €23 per person applies from December 23rd-January 2nd.
Where to eat
Diani
* Aniello’s Pizzeria. South of Colliers Centre. Good pizza cooked in wood-fired ovens.
* Ali Barbour’s Cave. Built inside an ancient coral cave, this regionally famous restaurant serves French fare and seafood.
Watamu
* Ascot Residence. In the middle of the town. Fantastic pizzas cooked in wood-burning ovens and inexpensive wines in a nice open-air restaurant that comes highly recommended. It’s unfortunate that the Italian owner doesn’t make more effort to be friendly with his guests.
* Ocean Sports. On the beach, oceansports.net. A great open-air bar-cum- restaurant on a verandah with beach views, friendly staff and a convivial atmosphere makes this a good spot – especially for big game fisher folk.
What to do
Scuba diving and snorkelling. Providers include Pilli Pipa, pillipipa.com, and Charlie’s Claws, wasiniislandkenya.com.