Malindi

Malindi is situated 140 km north of Mombasa and it is an interesting mix between a historic swahili town and a modern holiday centre with a variety of options of fine dining and fancy discos. Malindi was a thriving trading post in the 15.th century swahili city-state with connections by ship to India and China.

The quality of the beach in Malindi differs quite significantly whether it is the Silver Sands beach just south of town, whith its white coral sand or it is the beach just to the north where the color of the sand is brownish and doesn’t look as tempting for swimming.

About 10 km down the road to Watamu lies the turn off to Gedi or Gede ruins. About fourteen houses have been excavated and it is still a mystery as to why the ancient swahili town was abandoned. Today European settlers have alongside other investors transformed Malindi into a reputable destination of tourism and one of the best beaches is the immaculate Silver Sands beach just 5 min. from town.

Offshore is the Malindi Marine Park and a bit further south Watamu Marine National Park gives you another option for world class underwater adventures but since especially Malindi is not far from the Galana river delta, the visibillity of the water can be severely reduced by the silt from the river between March and June.