KENYA COAST:
Tracing the line down the Kenyan coast through Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa, Shimoni - the names spring from the map like locations from 1001 Arabian nights. Which is no coincidence: legend has it that Sinbad the Sailor actually landed in Mombasa on his voyage to immortality in the world's favourite anthology. Ever since Ptolemy first recorded the thriving trade in gold and ivory here in 150 AD, Mombasa has been famous as the commercial hub of eastern and central Africa. The city boasts some of the most powerful history on the continent: from the striking remains of the violent wars that saw its rule swing wildly between Arabs and Portuguese during the 15th and 16th centuries, to the ignominious slave trade that drove many of its fortunes in the 19th, to the arrival of the British and their "Lunatic' railway line, which would seal the city's fate as the "Gateway to Africa"
ATTRACTIONS:
The most evocative of Mombasa's many monuments lies at its heart: the hulking bastion of Fort Jesus, built in the 1590's. The 50-foot ramparts house a fascinating maritime museum and echoes of a bloody history, including a siege in which 2,500 people were barricaded inside the fort for nearly three years. The narrow lanes of nearby Mombasa Old Town hark back to gilded architectural era, with intricate latticed balconies, exquisitely carved "Lamu doors", and a host of old mosques dating back as far as 1570. Further north in Malindi, visitors can see a pillar erected by the Sultan of Malindi at the spot where Portuguese explorer, Vasco Da Gama, came ashore in 1498.
Just south of Malindi are the eerie ruins of Gedi, a 15th century Swahili town which was strangely abandoned sometime in the 16th century, whether through invasion or simply a lack of water - no one will ever know. However, Gedi was clearly a prosperous settlement, with a sultan's palace, several mosques and a series of grand coral houses. On the outskirts of Mombasa, is the village of Rabai, where East Africa's first missionaries, Krapf and Rebmann, built a church in 1846 (now a museum) before making their name as the first Europeans to see the 'equatorial snows' of Mount Kilimanjaro and Kenya - a claim that famously met with compete scepticism in the learned corridors of Europe.
Kenya's complex cultures are made simple at Ngomongo Villages, 15 km north of Mombasa, where 10 tribal 'homesteads' form a uniquely miniature exposition in which 10 couples live out their traditional livelihoods: The Taitas cultivating, the Kambas carving, the Maasai herding, the tiny El Molo - "the worlds smallest tribe" - fishing on a miniature Lake Turkana.
Inland from the beaches, nature lovers can find another kind of wilderness, particularly in the stunning Arabuko Sokoke Forest, outside Watamu, where the remnants of a once mighty rainforest that stretched from Somalia to Mozambique provides a protected 40 square kilometre habitat to six globally threatened birds, and an innovative butterfly breeding project is helping to reverse local antipathy towards the forest. As knowledge of the area's precious natural heritage gets out, several worthy conservation initiatives have sprung up, including the Watamu Turtle Watch, which pays local fishermen for rescuing sea turtles caught in their nets.
Perhaps the most impressive natural attraction on the Kenyan coast is the Bamburi Nature Trail, recently rechristened Haller Park after the visionary founder. Located just north of Mombasa, this incredible piece of reclaimed land contains deep forest buzzing with bird, insect, reptile and mammal life - most introduced, some uninvited - on what was once a barren cement quarry. As well as beautiful walks and cycle tracks, the park offers an intriguing insight into the science of this rich and complex ecosystem, in which every tiny plant and creature play a vital part. It also produced 40 tons of fish a year, exports crocodile skins, raises butterflies, and harvests impressive quantities of timber, fruit and organic vegetables.
On the south coast, there are also bountiful natural attractions, including the Shimba Hills National Reserve, where you can see elephant and rare Sable Antelope a stone's throw from the sea, the refuge for beautiful black-and-white Colobus Monkeys at Dian's Colobus Cottage, and the offshore coral gardens of Shimoni, which offers some of the finest snorkelling on the African Coast.
SHOPPING:
All the coastal centres - Mombasa, Malindi, Diani - have great souvenir shops and marketplaces, from Mombasa's bustling Makupa Market and the Akamba Carvers' Cooperative to the fantastic Bombolulu Workshops, just north of the city, where 150 disabled craftsmen and women produce beautiful carvings, textiles, leather goods, and arguably the ultimate "eco-gifts' - sculptures and jewellery made from recycled tins and bottle tops. At the big beaches are a variety of 'beach boys' selling their goods, including beautiful kiloi wraparounds that have become the rage in Ibiza and San Tropez.
ENTERTAINMENT:
The Kenyan coast is a party-lover's paradise, and there is no way to do justice to the huge variety of excellent bars, clubs and restaurants in such a short space. Most of the bigger hotels have lively discos, the best known of which are probably Rhythms at Whitesands and Breakers at Bamburi Beach. For a quieter, classier evening out, try the exquisite seafood @ Nyali's Tamarind Restaurant, or board the Nawalikher - the famous 'Tamarind Dhow" - for Kenya's ultimate maritime dining experience. |
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