Whether you realise it or not you have probably seen pictures of Kenya Beaches. Those long stretches of white sand Beach framed by palm trees are easily mistaken for Thailand, the Caribbean or the Whitsundays. The only clues that this might be Africa as you gaze at the azure sea are the Dhows; the centuries-old small canoes and ships native to the Indian Ocean.
The Kenyan coast stretches over 500 km from Somalia to Tanzania. The coast is white sandy beaches interspersed with coral cliffs and much of it bordered by reefs which offer some of the best diving in the world.
Kenya beaches from Lamu to Galu
At the tip of Kenya you find Lamu and then nothing but the blue sea, palms and mostly uninhabited coastline until you reach Malindi, Watamu and Kilifi. Travel further south and you reach the port city of Mombasa. One of the most ancient cities in Africa and the second biggest in Kenya. As you headed further south towards Tanzania and you will find the honeymoon idylls of Tiwi, Diani and Galu.
Much can be said for hiring a car, packing a picnic and a bottle of wine and headed to the middle of nowhere to find a beach where you will find no human footprint, indeed it is my favourite thing to do.
Kenyan beaches are very quiet compared to a lot of their European and American counterparts. This is no Benidorm or Venice Beach. You will easily find yourself alone with the ocean even if you are in the more touristy of destinations. Between the beaches listed here are great expanses of nothing. You can take a car and a phone with google earth and head off down a dirt track to a beach that few have seen. It’s a great way to spend a day.
Lamu
At the northern tip of Kenyas coastline is Lamu. Much has been made of its proximity to Somalia and I’d advise you to look into the latest updates of the situation before you travel. Kidnapping and pirating are common just over the border and so it’s important to be mindful. That said Lamu is a bucket list destination. One of the few relatively untouched paradises in the world and a step apart from any of the other beaches along the coast. This little island has no cars, all transport is by donkey. It’s Arabic architecture and traditions makes it feel closer to Arabia than Africa. The beaches are great, but what you get in Lamu is history and culture and a step back in time that is near impossible to find in many other places.
Where to stay in Lamu:
$$$: Majlis Resort
$$ Amu House
$ Subira House
Malindi, Watamu and Kilifi
Malindi
Despite being built by African Arabs and further inhabited by the Portuguese, Malindi now belongs largely to the Italians. The result is inspired. This port town offers some of the best Italian food to be found in all of Africa. Malindi is framed by white sand beaches, backed by indigenous forest and peppered with pizzerias. It has all the makings of a tummy enlarging, slothful holiday if there weren’t so many ‘must do’s’ within the vicinity.
Hells Kitchen Marafa
Take a trip north-west of Malindi to Marafa. Popularly known as Hell’s Kitchen this spectacular depression is full of wind-shaped sandstone gorges and gullies. A Star Wars inspired landscape spookily reminiscent of the desert-scapes of Arizona.
Gede Ruins
Between Malindi and Watamu are the Gede Ruins. Built in the 12th Century and updated again in the 15th this was a wealthy Swahili town that was suddenly abandoned in the 17th. No one really knows why. The ancient ruins and mystery surrounding them give it a spooky feel. Utter joy for any Indian Jones’ fans out there.
Where to stay in Malindi:
$$$: Leopard Point Luxury Beach Resort and Spa
$$: Driftwood Beach Club
$: Eden House
Watamu
Watamu and Tiwi are my favourite Kenya beaches. Watamu itself consists of 3 beaches connected by rocky headlands which you can walk over. Turtle Beach at the southern end is one long white stretch of sunbaked sand fronted by large hotels, namely Turtle Bay and swanky Hemmingways. Watamu beach in the middle is a small unassuming beach home mostly to private houses. The glorious Papa Remo beach at the top is a wide expanse of sand bars and shallows flat in low tide. Protected by small islets, the waves crash beyond them whilst lovers and toddlers relax in complete safety in the warm (often too warm) waters of the shallows. The best place in the whole of Watamu is Pepa Remo. Situated right on the beach you can rent sunbeds and spend the whole day lying under the shade of a palm. Or you can eat their amazing pizza and drink far too many cocktails in the cool, shady makutu thatched lounge.
Watamu Marine Park
Watamu is home to the world famous Marine Park. 4 different species of Turtle swim and nest within its grounds. During a visit to the Marine Park, you may see shark, whale, dolphin, turtles as well as many different types of tropical fish. The Marine Park is endangered due to the huge numbers of tourist snorkelling and diving within its waters and damaging delicate coral, as well as tons of tourist boats that chug back and forth all day. If you visit be mindful and tread with care.
Watamu Town itself is tiny with little of note apart from the Crab Shack. A short Tuk Tuk ride down a road opposite Turtle Bay hotel and you will find yourself in a Mangrove swamp bordering Mida Creek. The Crab Shack is built on stilts above the Mangrove and only accessed by a boardwalk. It’s the best place in the world for sundowners and crab samosas. I’ve heard the seafood is divine.
Where to stay in Watamu
$$$: Hemmingways Watamu
$$: Turtle Bay Resort
$: Blue Bay Cove
Kilifi
Kilifi is the kite surfing, sail boating capital of Kenya. Its position upon a lagoon makes it an excellent base for beginners to a variety of watersports. Kilifi is a tiny laid back community, with white sandy beaches, hippies practising yoga and a lot of oysters. There are one or two large hotels but you will find an abundance of private houses for rent.
Where to stay in Kilifi:
$$$: Kilifi Magreb
$$: Manarani Club and Spa
$: Kilifi Bay Beach Resort
Mombasa
Mombasa is a massive port city. The second biggest in the country. A belching behemoth by Kenyan standards. Gritty and probably nitty there is beauty here but you often have to search. Visit the old town and its tiny streets and stores stuffed with brass and rugs redolent of former times. Mombasa also has beaches at Nyali and Bamburi and the beaches are gorgeous and white and sandy, but they are also swarmed by large hotels and beach boys selling their wares. If you are in Mombasa just for a day then they are fabulous – if you have longer then both Kilifi and Diani are just a short drive away.
Where to stay in Mombasa (beach):
$$$: Severin Sea Lodge
$$: Bamburi Beach Hotel
$: Rent a private house or cottage through FlipKey
Tiwi, Diani and Galu
The Kenyan beaches of Tiwi, Diani and Galu make up one of the better-known portions of the south coast of Kenya. A honeymoon destination for adventure seekers, an oceanside paradise often added on to our fabulous Kenyan safaris or an easy and unbeatable getaway for those of us lucky to live in Kenya.
Diani and its sister beaches of Galu and Tiwi are the closest and easiest to reach from Nairobi and therefore more frequently visited.
These 3 beaches are, in fact, one long beach that run into each other, only defined by distance and the occasional small headland. Choosing between beaches can be a tough call, but despite their proximity to each other there are essential differences.
Diani
Most head to Diani, a 10 km of sand so white it dazzles and warm, blue water that recedes at low tide to show off its reefs and sand islands. Its popularity is boosted by a high street running parallel to the beach a few houses back.
On Diani Beach Road you can find supermarkets: Naivas, and Chandarana, a few restaurants, various tourist shops and even a couple of thumping nightclubs. Despite its prominence in travel agent magazines, this is as busy as Diani gets. Forget the built-up tower blocks of Europe and America, the Kenyan coast is laid back all the way.
Diani hosts numerous high-end resorts that dot the coastline but secreted between palms are palatial villas, funky cottages and sleepy shambas. This is the beach for your Instagram snaps and your virtual postcards home. Nothing beats it for a visual spectacular. Spend the day sipping cool white wine at Nomads, visit the infamous Ali Barbour’s Cave restaurant, take a camel ride down the beach or head to Kenaways and kitesurf. Diani can be exhilarating and a cool balm of restfulness. The choice is yours.
Where to stay in Diani:
$$$: Sands at Nomads Hotel– also the best place to eat and drink
$$: Leopard Beach resort and Spa
$: Diani Marine
Galu
10K along the beach from Diani is Galu. Ostensibly this is the same beach, being that one long stretch of sand runs into another. It is possible to walk the entire stretch from north of Diani to past Galu. What Galu lacks in shops and commercial enterprise, it gains in the softness of the sand and beauty. Walking the beach in Galu is to sink into sand so powder like it’s more akin to dust. Here the fishermen sail the reef with spear guns in the early morning and you can visit the local shops for freshly caught, lobster, snapper, prawns or octopus. Galu is quieter than Diani but far from deserted. One can choose from 5* restaurants to laid back beach bars but you will need to travel to Diani to stock up on home supplies. Galu has fewer resorts, more cottages and is a quieter, prettier alternative to Diani.
$$$: Lantana Galu
$$: Kenaways Kite Surfing
$: Rent a private house or cottage through FlipKey
Tiwi
Tiwi sits on the northern side of Diani. Whilst it’s hard to separate the beaches of Galu and Diani, Tiwi is a different experience entirely. In Tiwi, the reef, which protects most of the Kenyan coastline, comes in close to the beach. The white sand becomes golden and filled with shells. The endless white beaches of Diani meet cave speckled coral cliffs interspersed with sunshine-filled secret coves. The beaches at high tide are glorious in their Mediterranean style beauty but it is at low tide that they come into their own. At Tiwi, it’s possible to walk all the way out to the reef at low tide without it reaching much past your knees. The reef and rock pools are a childhood dream; an unrivalled opportunity to spend hours hunting out crabs, fish, sea urchins and shells. On the reef starfish of all shapes and sizes are innumerable.
Tiwi has no bars; shops, restaurants and the resorts are far between. In Tiwi you rent a house, kick off your shoes and relax. Days are for rock pooling or surfing, nights are for sundowners on the deck of your private house.
Where to stay in Tiwi:
$$$: Swahili House
$$: Amani Tiwi Beach Resort
$: Rent a private house or cottage through FlipKey
Reaching Kenya beaches from Nairobi:
Air: The fastest and easiest way is to fly. Flights depart from JKIA and Wilson hourly throughout the day and take approximately an hour to both Mombasa, Ukunda (the closest airport to Diani) Malindi and slightly longer to Lamu. Book in advance and you can be flying for as little as 4200.
Train: The SGR runs from Nairobi to Mombasa twice a day. The 8 am departure is a 6-hour journey past Kilimanjaro and through Tsavo. You’ll need to grab a taxi at the other end. Diani and Watamu are both about 90 minutes drive from the station. First class tickets are 3000 and second class is 1500 for adults.
Drive: its approximately a 9 hour drive on the very unfriendly Mombasa road to Mombasa,but it does take you past some amazing scenery. You can also break up the journey with a stop en route consider Voi or Mtito Andei for an overnight safari in Tsavo. From Mombasa you can drive down to Diani or up towards Watamu / Malindi.
Driving further North to Lamu can be done though you may choose to take a direct route. Be aware of coastal dangers enroute.
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