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A procession along the seafront at Lamu Old Town

Lamu

A Swahili town with no cars, a UNESCO listing, and dhows instead of taxis.

2°16′S 40°54′E · 466 km from Nairobi

Photograph: Halfnhav4 · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Why people go

Lamu Old Town is the oldest continuously inhabited Swahili settlement in East Africa, and there are almost no vehicles on the island — you arrive by boat and move by foot or by donkey.

It is the opposite of a beach resort: narrow streets, carved doors, and a very slow pace. The hotels are largely restored Swahili merchant houses with rooftop terraces and plunge pools.

Off-island, the Shela dunes and the channels between the archipelago make this the best sailing and kitesurfing coast in Kenya.

What you will actually do

  • Lamu Old Town — UNESCO World Heritage, car-free
  • Dhow sailing and sunset cruises in the archipelago
  • Shela beach and the sand dunes
  • Lamu Museum and the Swahili house architecture

Pairs well with

  1. Same region Diani Beach White sand, warm water, reef and the highest concentration of good hotels on the coast.
  2. Elsewhere Lake Nakuru Fenced, close, and the most reliable place in Kenya to see both black and white rhino.
  3. Elsewhere Mount Kenya Africa’s second-highest mountain, and the highlands, forest and trout streams around it.
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