As soon as we touched down at the airstrip on Manda Island and disembarked the small plane, I could feel the warm tropical coastal breeze. Manda island is just one of the exotic islands in the Lamu archipelago off the north Kenyan coast – all flights from the mainland to Manda and Lamu islands arrive at the tiny airport and, depending on the island on which you are staying, you will either take a boat or road transfer to your lodge or hotel. We were staying a 30 minutes boat ride away from the airstrip in Shela, a once tiny village on the island of Lamu that has grown considerably due to the many foreigners that have bought land and built luxury villas to rent out to affluent tourists.  Shela is a mix of old and new, traditional and modern…there are no cars on the island so sand for building is collected in bags and transported on the backs on donkeys along the narrow streets, like it has been for hundreds of years. Bougainvilleas and frangipanis grow between the narrow houses, and Ilala and coconut palms growing on the sand dunes surrounding the village sway gently in the sea breeze. Local fisherman sit on the waters’ edge catching up on the daily gossip while trying to catch a meal for the night, and stray cats wait patiently on the beach for scraps from the fishing boats that return from the deep sea.  Classy foreigners or ‘muzungu’ as we are called, sit drinking fruit shakes in the trendy cafes.

The local people of Lamu island are a mix of Arabic and African decent which is due to the settlement of Arabs hundreds of years ago, and their history of trading slaves. Lamu town, also known as ‘mini’ Stone Town due to its similar architecture, is a mass of old buildings, some old and falling apart and some restored. The predominant religion of the island is muslim and this is very apparent when walking around Lamu town. The people of Arabic decent dress in traditional clothing and the women adorn head scarves and burkhas. The African people are less traditional in their dress although they still are avid followers of the muslim religion. Alcohol is rarely consumed by the locals and is only served at a small number of licensed establishments aimed at tourists. It is a fascinating town with friendly people, many of whom managed to entice us into their little shops to sell us anything from local carvings, beautiful wooden furniture to handmade silver jewellery. There is always a bargain to be found, and people expected us to haggle in order to sell their wares at the best price. Seafood restaurants line the waterfront of the town selling delicious, locally caught and fresh seafood at affordable prices from prawns and crayfish, to calamari, crab and the fish of the day. Of course we had to try out a few of the local seafood dishes and we were not disappointed.

The Lamu archipelago has something for everyone – blue waters, pristine beaches, nature, culture, friendly people and accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. We had such an incredible time on the island and I would recommend a visit to anyone that is looking for an exotic island experience. For more information on Lamu Island please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it