Most travellers come to Kenya for the world-class safari at Masai Mara. Spotting a cheetah was also our main reason for visiting this East-African country. However, Kenya has more to offer both for those seeking to combine relaxation below the palms with a deeper dive into the country’s cultural heritage.
The eastern city of Mombasa is best known for its pristine beaches. No wonder, since the Swahili coast has some of the beast beaches in the world and is included in Best In Travel in Lonely Planet 2024. If you can tear yourself away from the turquoise waters for a moment, you can explore the cultural highlights and UNESCO World Heritage Sites near the coastal town.
So put on your flipflops and step into the footsteps of Vasco de Gama, Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo!
DISCOVER MOMBASA
The people are not farmers but import grain from the Swahili. The greater part of the diet is bananas and fish. They follow the Shafi' rite, and are pious, honorable, and upright. And they have well built wooden mosques.
The history of Mombasa
Only a few hundreds years later, it was fought over by the Arabs, Persians, Portuguese, and Turks until 1840, then the sultan of Zanzibar gained control. In 1895, the British made Mombasa the capital of the East Africa Protectorate until 1907.
Sadly, it was also a center of the slave trade. From the 7th – 19(!) century, the Arabs and the Swahili traders kidnapped 4 mio. East Africans and shipped them to work in the Middle East as well as Arabian East Africa.
Read more on how to get to and from Mombasa at the end of the article.
If you’re starting from Nairobi, check out if Nairobi is a New Cultural Destination?
Discover the Cultural Sights in Mombasa
Mombasa is NOT a big tourist spot. It’s not “No Crowds”, it’s: Is anybody even here? Well, I think you should be.
I’m sure Mombasa has more to offer than what I had time to explore, so this is for the traveller without to much time.
EXPLORING FORT JESUS
Fort Jesus is the main attraction in the area – and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I love old stones and especially old forts. The fort was built by the Portuguese in 1500’s is one of the most well preserved examples of 16th Portuguese military fortification. And who doesn’t love military fortification strategy?
No, the reason this is interesting is that it shows the history of the Swahili coast and pats of Kenya in one single monument.
WALK OLD TOWN MOMBASA
Beforehand, we had been warned not to go around Mombasa on our own. By our driver and by the internet.
We decided to go ahead, but avoid the harbour area. This might not sound like a daring adventure, but we had left our autistic son at the hotel, so it would be a big problem if something happened. In the end, the only thing that happened was a pleasant stroll through the narrow streets and a really good cup of coffee.
Whether you go with a guide or alone, your route through Mombasa old town should take you past a few important stop. The Mandhry mosque was built in 1570 and is the oldest in town. I have never seen anything like it. It’s a classic example of Swahili architecture. You should also pay attention to the restored old houses. Like the Africa Hotel which is the oldest in the country from 1901.
We stopped by the coffee shop Jahazi. I don’t drink coffee, but my husband had Swahili coffee which is very similar to Omani coffee with cardamum.
I’m so happy we decided to venture out on our own although I’m sure a guide could explain more. But the two of us at the cafe is an amazing memory.
FIND PEACE IN KAYA KINONDO SACRED FOREST
The Mijikenda
Kaya means “home” or ” village”. These sacred forests were originally fortresses, where Mijikenda people lived to avoid Portuguese domination in the 16th century. Today, they function as spiritual centers and are listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
To the tribe, the forests has supernatural powers. They are not really for outsiders, but this is a visitor site to create attention in order to preserve the special forests.
Our guide was himself of the Mijikenda tribe. He told us, that it’s not really a religion, but is about spirits. A key element is the fingo – a protective talisman. It’s sometimes a pot of medicine or a stone, that is buried in the sacred forest to attract guardian spirits and protect the community. He pointed out the spot to us, but we were not allowed to go close. Even he hadn’t been.
His ancestors lived and were are buried in the forest, but today, they have moved out of the forest. But the forest still protects them.
The forest is also home to 1800 trees and many different types of butterflies. Some of trees have medicinal qualities – and some were used trying to treat COVID. The forest also have a small number of the black and white colobus monkey. we saw them sitting in the trees and climbing across the roads. I’m not to happy about monkeys (A Ha Long Bay Trip in Vietnam Became a Monkey Island Prison!), but these were beautiful.
You have to wear a black skirt – both men, women and everyone in between out of respect. You are not allowed to leave any trace except for footprints, but that should go for any place you travel.
SAIL ON A DHOW
From the hotel it was easy (rather it was impossible not) to find someone who would sail you. Most of the beach sellers had a normal boring boat, but we went for the traditional dhow. If you think dhows they belong to Zanzibar, you’re right and wrong. I saw a dhow boat factory in Oman and it was the Omani that brought the dhow to Zanzibar.
For some weird unknown reason, we did not sail to Wasini Island to the turtle sanctuary. It might have been due to the bad weather and since neither my son or myself like to sail. If you enjoy snorkling, this is suppose to be a highlight. Check out Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve.
HANGING AT THE BEACH
Diani beach was named the best beach in Africa. It’s easy to understand why. A very long, white stretch of sand, with swaying palm trees and sea stars in the clear waters. As quirky addition, the beach has camels (for tourists). Enjoy the sunset at the hotel bars at the loooong sandy beach.
The only aber-dabei is that the beach is not that swim/children/ people with reduced mobility – friendly. Expect 6 hours of high tide and 6 hours of low tide – meaning you can only swim in the early morning and late evening! Or in the pool. Kite surfing is also a thing here.
I normally do not travel far away and then just hang at the beach. I don’t call myself a culture vulture for nothing. But on this trip, I hade my husband and my autistic son with me. For my son staying at the same place helps him to deal with the stress of travelling. But I need to explore stuff. So I chose a hotel within range of Mombasa city and the other sights.
We stayed at Papillon Lagoon Reef (affiliated link – you pay the same, but I get a small commission to travel for). The hotel is a all-inclusive which I would normally avoid, but it tuned out to be a good thing, since there were not a lot of restaurant s nearby since all the hotels were all inclusive. It turned out it was a all-inclusive – which I hate – but it was perfect for our son, since there wasn’t any other restaurants nearby. It turned out it was pretty nice and clearly a place people came back to. And it wasn’t that expensive.
If you didn’t visit Masai Mara on this trip like me, nearby Shimba Hills offers sightings of antelopes, giraffes and elephants reached on day trip.
Personally, I would have like to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lamu old town. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time, since it’s 50 min to the ferry crossing in Mombasa and our son has autism and doesn’t want to go on excursions, so we leave him behind making time matter.
Alas, you can’t do it all. Next time, I would stay north of Mombasa. But would I go back to Mombasa? I wouldn’t mind, but with the rest of the world to explore it might not coming up anytime soon.
Practical info on Mombasa
For some it’s often the logistics of a trip that deters them from venturing out. So I will try to help:
To get around the area, we hired a driver. We had a local taxi and the driver was very chatty. He talked about corruption in the government and the high prices for good school for kids. He also talked about the need for planting trees for the next generation, since there were no coconut palm trees since 20 years ago.
How to get to and from Mombasa
Getting to and from Mombasa is pretty easy. To get to Mombasa, you can fly from Nairobi on a small commuter plane. You can also take the Chinese built high-speed train that runs through a national park. We did both. I guess you can also drive.
From Diani beach, it’s 50 min. in a taxi to the ferry crossing for Mombasa and the ferry is 10 minutes.
Flying to Mombasa from Nairobi
An easy way to get back and forth to Mombasa is the plane.We took it one way to save time and to avoid taking the train both ways.
- Note that all airlines have their own terminals. My husband was terrified of the poor security, but I’m just happy if I don’t get airsick.
- The trip took 1,5 hours to Ukunda.
- From Ukunda, we grabbed a taxi to our beach hotel near Diani Beach. Mombasa airport is further away so make sure you get the right one.
Taking the train Mombasa- Nairobi
- The train station is pretty far from the city and even further from the beach – app. 2 hours. In the middle of nowhere.
- When you get there, you enter a en open building. Inside are narcotic and bomb dogs checking your luggage.
- We bought 1. class tickets for some quiet, but it was full of kids.
- Bring food if you’re particular, as the food truck only has snacks.
After 5 hours of up to 110 km/h, you finally reach Nairobi. We were exhausted and had a night flight nack to Denmark, so it was one of the longest travel days ever.
If the capital is not your thing, a new train line from Nairobi to Uganda is on its way.
xxx
I haven’t yet written of our amazing safari in Masai Mara, where the hippos woke us up in the morning. Instead, you can go wild in Undiscovered Mana Pools, Zimbabwe.
Interested in World Heritage Sites? From Angkor to Great Zimbabwe – I got you covered. Or another country with great sand and water experiences? How about beaching at the Greek island of Crete?
Please let me know if you found this useful or if you’re missing some more information. Will you add Mombasa to your safaritrip?
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