Lamu Attractions

The Tourist Attractions of Lamu are Sights from a Bygone Era

The Lamu attractions are an eclectic mix of sights from a bygone era - the ancient Old Town, donkeys, dhows, ruins, several museums as well as endless endless secluded beaches.

For your convenience, these attractions are grouped by each of the Lamu archipelago islands.

Main Island

Anyone seeking a romantic getaway will love Lamu's infinitely long and secluded beaches.

The best of these is the 12 km (7 mile) long Shela, which is a 45 minute walk or a 10 minute dhow sail from Lamu town. So how does Shela stand out from all the other beaches in the world?

Well, it isn't just long and private, it is bordered by sand-dunes that are punctuated by tufts of vegetation.

Because it is an island, Lamu is obviously great for water sports such as snorkeling, windsurfing and diving as well as dhow sailing and fishing...

Dhows are rudimentary but resilient wooden boats and you will find many of these at Lamu's main harbor. If you love fishing, plan to go on a fishing expedition with a local fisherman. The common catches in Lamu are tuna, red snapper, kingfisher and sailfish.

The Donkey sanctuary provides free veterinary services to the Lamu's 3000+ beasts of burden. It caters for the sick and injured and even runs an ambulance service to quickly cart away these animals in emergency situations.

It is fitting that every ancient town boasts a raft of museums and so these are some of the popular tourist attractions of Lamu...

The best of these is probably Lamu Museum which exhibits various Swahili culture artifacts such as boats and the local architecture.

Lamu Fort Environment Museum, built by the Sultan of Paté in the early nineteenth century to defend the then prized trading town's waterfront, displays some subdued historical and environmental artifacts and houses the town's library. It is still worth a visit though, if only to take in some breathtaking panoramic views of the town.

The German Post Office Museum, a monument to Germany's failure to conquer Kenya, exhibits photographs and memorabilia from the colonial period.

The Swahili House Museum in Mkomani is a delightfully restored eighteenth century house which showcases Lamu's famous stone and "box" architecture.

Lamu is home to no less than 23 mosques, the oldest of which is Pwani Mosque which dates back to the fourteenth century.

The newest and largest is Riyadha Mosque built at the beginning of the twentieth century. Riyadha Mosque also hosts the annual Maulidi celebrations that commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammed.

Paté Island

Because Paté is surrounded by a mangrove swamp, it can only be reached during high tides. Not surprisingly, Paté is a trading town with the characteristic Lamu winding alleys and double-storeyed box houses.

And, there are many Lamu attractions in Paté Island such as the Faza settlement and a couple of mosque ruins. The Siyu fort ruins are the most impressive of these attractions though.

Manda Island

Manda, which is just a narrow channel away from the main island, is home to the local airstrip where virtually all the aircraft land. Manda's most visited tourist attraction is the Takwa ruins which are remnants of a Swahili settlement which was abandoned in the eighteenth century, probably due to lack of fresh water.

Kiwaiyu

The uninhabited Kiwaiyu is as pristine as it is picturesque. This charming island also offers plenty of coral reef and mangrove swamps to maneuver though.

Dodori National Reserve is another of the stunning Lamu attractions in Kiwaiyu. The game reserve's inhabitants include lions, giraffes, hippos, kudus and topis.

Dodori also offers an array of birdlife which includes the pelican, honey buzzard, palmut vulture, brown breasted barbet, violet breasted sunbird, Southern branded harrier eagle, brown hooded kingfisher as well the European and carmine bee-eaters.

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