Kenyas coastal region
The beautiful white coral beaches, fringed by swaying coconut palms are definitely one of the highlights of Kenya – and after a long safari there’s nothing more soothing than taking a swim in the Indian Oceans warm, turquoise waters.
In the far south, edging the border of Tanzania there is a small fishing town called Shimoni which is the one of the major points for setting out to visit Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park, where you will find world class snorkeling and diving. Also at Malindi-Watamu Marine National Park you will find exquisite snorkling and diving opportunities and there are a number of other attractions on the coast such as Fort Jesus in Mombasa, the Arabuko-Sokoke forest and the Gedi ruins at Malindi, The Lamu archipelago and many more.
The strong tidal fluctuations with almost 4 meter in difference between high and low tide, makes the beach and sea an ever interesting place to discover and enjoy and at low tide it is, in some places, possible to walk all the way to the fringing coral reef about 300-400 meter from the beach. Many hotels have dance troupes performing several times a week and they can arrange nature walks and cultural visits to some of the local villages.
The kenyan coast has a tropical climate with hot and humid air, making it a paradise for lush vegetation and despite rural development there are still patches with virgin reainforest. Along the coast activities such as windsurfing, sailing, kitesurfing, parasailing, kayaking, snorkling and diving are offered in proximity of the big hotels. A dip in the Indian Oceans warm waters is always a wonderful experience no matter the time of the year as the temperature is relatively constant.
The east coast of Africa is also called the Swahili coast and it has been the center of trade between people around the Indian Ocean for milenia. Unguja or often referred to as Zanzibar (which is actually the whole archipelago which is named the Zanzibar archipelago and includes Unguja, Pemba and Mafia island ) was for many centuries under Omani government and the arabs have sailed these waters and traded with the africans and others. The people on the coast is therefor often a mix between different cultures and Muslims are predominant on the coast. Therefor there are many differences between coastal people and the africans living away from the coast, sometimes creating political discussions.