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Kenyan Coast · Destination Guide

Lamu

Best time: Year-round, best Jun-Oct, Dec-Mar Dhow sailing, marine life, Swahili heritage

A Swahili island town of coral-stone houses and dhows, with no cars and a very slow pace.

Lamu Old Town is the oldest continuously inhabited Swahili settlement in East Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its narrow lanes of coral-stone houses with carved doors are navigated on foot or by donkey, since the island has virtually no cars.

Days here are spent sailing traditional dhows, walking the waterfront, or lying on the long empty beach at Shela. It is a genuine cultural destination rather than a wildlife one, and it suits travellers who want to finish a safari somewhere unhurried and quite unlike anywhere else on the coast.

Safari Packages

Trips that visit
Lamu.

We do not currently list a set itinerary for Lamu, but we build private safaris here on request.