Kenyan CoastField Guide
Lamu
A Swahili island town of coral-stone houses and dhows, with no cars and a very slow pace.
- Region
- Kenyan Coast
- Best time
- Year-round, best Jun-Oct, Dec-Mar
- Wildlife
- Dhow sailing, marine life, Swahili heritage
- Safaris here
- On request
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.
Photographs
Safari Packages
Trips that visit Lamu
We have no set itinerary listed for Lamu at the moment, but we build private safaris here on request.