Mombasa

Mombasa is the largest port on the East African coast. The city was established in the 12th century but oldest remaining buildings date from the late 19th century. It was a Muslim stronghold until the Portuguese took over in 1505 and destroyed the whole town. Under the Portuguese Nairobi was rebuilt, but in his fight against the Portuguese a local ruler destroyed it once again. Between 1631 and 1875 the area changed hands nine times.

The city lies on Mombasa Island and it is connected to the mainland by an artificial causeway carrying a road and a railway. There is little high-rise in town and the Old Town is still more or less as it was at the end of the 19th century. There are many buildings with ornate wooden shop fronts and beautiful balconies. The building-styles vary from long established coastal Swahili architecture to British colonial style. The oldest building in Mombasa is Fort Jesus. The Portuguese started building the fort in 1593 and later Italians and Arabs added their parts to the structure. Nowadays it houses a museum. The fort lies close to the harbor entrance. The Old Harbor is very nice and you can take cruises around it.

Mombasa has an enormous choice of hotels, guesthouses, pensions, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Camping is also possible. There are many fantastic beaches both north and south of town and there is a large choice of transportation to other places in Kenya as well as abroad, including buses, matatu (minibuses), taxis and trains. The railway station is in the middle of Mombasa Island, while Moi International Airport is on the mainland several kilometers west of the city.

South of Mombasa

There are plenty of fantastic beaches south of Mombasa. They are all white sand and protected by a coral reef, so you don't have to worry about sharks when swimming. Sometimes there is a lot of seaweed between the reef and the beach, but at Diani Beach this is no problem. There is a whole host of accommodation and restaurants available at all the beaches.

Shelly Beach is the first beach you will come to when traveling to the south from Mombasa in the direction of Gazi. You can easily go there on a day trip from the city. You can get there by taxi.

The next beach you will come to is Tiwi Beach. It is about 3 km away from the main road, where the bus or matatu drops you off, so you will have to walk or lift the last bit, if you don't have your own means of transportation.

More to the south is Diani Beach with beautiful white sand and palm trees. The water is clear without any of the annoying seaweed. It is the most developed beach with a string of hotels and shops all along the seafront. Diani Beach has excellent connections with Mombasa by bus and matatu.

70 km south of Mombasa is Shimoni Beach. Offshore from Shimoni lies the beautiful island of Wasini.

North of Mombasa

Also north of Mombasa there are numerous beaches with hotels and restaurants nearby. The beaches north of Mombasa are also protected by reefs and have the same seaweed problem as the ones south of the city.

Going north from Mombasa in the direction of Kilifi you will first come to Nyali Beach, where you can also visit a crocodile farm.

At Bamburi Beach further north, is a forest planted on land reclaimed from the sea. Animals were introduced to create a small wildlife park. You can see eland, oryx, pigs and monkeys. There are also numerous bird species. The park is called Bamburi Quarry Nature Trail and accessible by bus from Mombasa.

Going further north you will come to the quiet Shanzu Beach.

Kikambala Beach is near the town of Majengo, north of the creek at Shimo. You can get to Majengo by matatu from Mombasa, but from there it's still 3.5 km to the beach.

Vipingo Beach is 40 km north of Mombasa.

Hours from UTC: 3
Daylight savings time: n/a

City phone code: 11
Country phone code: 254

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