Diani Beach
White sand, warm water, reef and the highest concentration of good hotels on the coast.
Photograph: · CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Why people go
Diani is a fifteen-kilometre beach south of Mombasa with white sand that stays white, water that stays warm, and a reef close enough to snorkel from a boat in twenty minutes. It is where Kenyan families go, which is a decent endorsement.
Its function in an itinerary is recovery. After six days of 5am starts and dusty game drives, four days doing nothing is not laziness — it is the part of the trip people remember most fondly.
July to October is cooler and drier with better diving visibility; December to March is hotter and busier with the clearest water.
What you will actually do
- Snorkelling and diving on the reef at Kisite and Wasini
- Kite surfing, SUP and sailing — consistent wind in season
- Deep-sea fishing for sailfish and marlin, October to March
- The standard safari recovery stop, 1 hour from Nairobi