The beaches of Kenya
Kenya is a great destination for a beach holiday: non-trivial, exotic, mild climate, well-developed infrastructure. But the main thing: an impossibly beautiful coastline, the turquoise Indian Ocean, soft sand, postcard palm trees – almost a dream come to life. According to COUNTRYAAH, Kenya is a country that starts with letter K.
The most popular beaches are concentrated in Mombasa and its environs. One of the best is Diani Beach, with a snow-white surface and lush vegetation. It is especially impressive at low tide: the coral reef emerges from the water, revealing colorful intricacies, sea urchins, stars and other deep inhabitants. The bottom is not uniform, so when swimming, you can stumble upon sharp stones or swim in algae. The beach has amenities and opportunities for outdoor activities: kite and windsurfing, fishing, playing volleyball, and camel riding in the evening – after all, this is Africa!
The sand on Diani Beach is so fine that it feels like flour to the touch.
It is more convenient to relax on Shanzu with kids: the bottom is completely sandy, soft and gently sloping. The landscapes of Nayali are reminiscent of Nungwi, one of the most beautiful beaches in Zanzibar. In the resort area of Mtwapa, they dance at night in discos, and during the day they sunbathe by the ocean and the stream: the water in it, however, is muddy, but you can swim if you wish. There are always few people on Kikambala, remote from the city, and Shelly Beach is also deserted, but unsafe: robbers hunt there.
Almost all beaches in the Mombasa area can be accessed exclusively through hotels, paying a certain amount (on average 500 KES per day) and getting the right to use amenities, sunbeds and umbrellas. The only public area is Bamburi: good facilities, many cafes, sun loungers for 50 KES a day, but there are not crowded people.
The second most popular beach resort is Malindi. The coastal area is protected by coral reefs, so the ocean is clean and transparent, there are no waves, it is safe for both adults and children to swim. The infrastructure is thought out in a European way, the bottom is mixed, sandy and rocky, there are boat and boat rentals, and there are picturesque tropical thickets around. Nearby is the village of Watamu, which attracts diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. And seekers of solitude go to the idyllic island of Lamu: if at least some revival reigns on Shela Beach, then on the west coast – silence and grace.
Diving
Kenya has not yet become a world center for diving, but it is most likely a matter of time: the Indian Ocean is full of countless natural treasures. The best time for diving is the period from January to March: the water is warm, calm and clear, visibility at a depth is more than 20 m. But from May to July, you should not dive: during the rainy season, winds and showers mix sand and microplankton into impenetrable turbidity.
In Mombasa, you can dive from traditional dhow boats – this is the most exciting part of standard boat trips.
Newcomers to Kenyan waters can be hampered by tangible currents, but they do not scare professionals. Most dive sites are located close to the coast, but you still have to rent a boat – it will reach the desired point in 15-20 minutes. The main inhabitants of the local depths are turtles of various sizes, Napoleon fish, lionfish, moray eels, groupers and some larger ones: dolphins, whitetip sharks and whales. Even ordinary sand attracts attention, full of plants, stars, hedgehogs and trepangs.
Dive centers operate mainly at hotels, the average cost of a dive is 6000 KES, including equipment.
The most popular dive sites are located in the vicinity of Mombasa: Moray Reef, a canyon with coral walls that go sharply deep into the depths, the sunken ship “Mida”, accessible only at high tide, and the cargo ship “Denmark” off Bamburi Beach. Not far from Diani Beach, the Diani Chail Marine Reserve has been opened with the maximum concentration of ocean inhabitants. The mysterious Vuma Caves and Turtle Reef are known off the coast of Watamu, and in the summer there is a chance to admire the whales migrating from South Africa. Malindi is surrounded by a picturesque reef with hundreds of strange creatures, and in Shimoni Marine Parks you can swim with dolphins.
Safari in Kenya
First of all, people go to Kenya for vivid sensations: simple, even primitive, but strong and ancient – much more ancient than the human mind. People come here to wake up the dormant instinct of the hunter. It is he who inevitably wakes up in everyone who finds himself in one of the country’s national parks. The eye follows the swift run of a flock of antelopes, the ear is disturbed by the roar of wild buffaloes, and the sharp smell of large predatory cats that start hunting somewhere very close penetrates into the nostrils. And even though in the hands, instead of a double-barreled elephant fighter or a faithful flint spear, there is only a digital “reflex camera” (real hunting has been banned in Kenya for more than one year), emotions still go off scale.
They say that the first people appeared in the heart of Africa, that we all come from there. Anyone who has been to Kenya has no doubts about it.
Wildebeest, buffaloes, leopards, rhinos, lions and other masters of Africa are found in the Masai Mara, adjacent to the warriors of the ancient tribe, after which the park is named. In Tsavo, you can admire impala and eland antelopes, hippos and rare birds, Amboseli is the home of elephants and giraffes. Aberdare is surrounded by impregnable mountains, Watamu – by mangrove forests with dozens of species of animals and birds. The Tana River, the largest in the country, flows into Meru, and cedars, olives, ferns and gigantic bamboo grow on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Nakuru turns pink with fluorescent flamingo plumage, and Lake Naivasharather resembles the sea both in size and in the violent nature of the waters.
