How to spend 7 days in Kilifi and watamu.

Shades of Acqua_ by Marie Magesha

PLANNING A GETAWAY

August 2018

Planning a vacation can be fun but at times, it is borderline maddening. Picture this, you have perfectly aligned all the forces together, a couple of friends, enough money, leave days, hotel bookings and all that’s left to do is, getting to the vacation spot.

Travel is a mental investment.

A week to the trip,  is almost always the exact moment everything comes crushing down. In my case;

• One by one my friends cancelled the trip, except Mike.
• I didn’t get my new passport back on time so my visa appointment was affected.
• My travel buddy  had work issues come up so we kept postponing the trip.

Tuesday 

I had one of the worst days, trying to sort out my visa and I had reached a low point. I knew that it was time to cancel the trip after my friend called me later…

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Backpacking Accommodations In Kenya

We all love to travel differently, and nothing varies from one person to another as accommodation preferences. There are those who want a quiet calm abode, there are those that want luxury and there are still those who just need somewhere to lay their heads, and more. Accommodation is one of the basics you need to sort out during travel escapades, and thus is very important. Today I will share simple backpacking accommodation options around Kenya, for when you feel like doing an impromptu affordable travel. These can also be awesome camping spots as they have open spaces.

Mandharini Rentals

Mandharini

Out & about to the coast? I know most of you have thought about it. If only money grew on trees, right? Well, it doesn’t need to because Mandharini rentals are offering you a stay at their beautiful houses for much less than you’d think. With outstanding scenery in the heart of Coastal Kenya & breath taking views of Kilifi creek and magical sunsets, they are perfect.

In Search Of Vitamin Sea

 

For as long as I can remember my ideal holiday begins and ends with a beach. I’m a modern day water lover and sun worshipper. I never tire of our beautiful coastline-the white sandy beaches that we are so used to speaking of and the warm Indian Ocean. It is unlike no other- with the beach boys heckling, the carts of chilli mango and the various Italian eateries littered around. Mombasa, Malindi and Diani have evolved to form havens for the party-goers, the pleasure seekers and those in search for peace and quiet. So now I ask you, why wouldn’t you want to holiday here too?

Dear Travel Diary: Matatu Experience, The Coastal Way

So about that story I promised you about Kilifi matatus, here it is. We had travelled to Kilifi very smoothly, arrived safely and spent a good two days emjoying the coastal weather and culture. I was already speaking in that swahili twang you hear our coastal brothers have. Heck, even my skin tone was getting fairer. I was really becoming a coasterian, maybe I would have added a ‘Mwadime’ or ‘Omari’ to my name just to fit the part. However, we had to leave and get back to the 100 degrees celcius Nairobi heat(cues in Daddy Owen’s Mbona ft Denno). We all thought we were in agreement to leave that morning, we were wrong. Our Nissan Serena wasn’t done enjoying the Kilifi weather, it couldn’t start. After allowing mechanics to check on it without bearing any fruits, we decided to take a bus back. We were due to leave that morning but it was now midday and had to get seats in a bus for an overnight trip. It was not an easy job. First all the buses departing from Kilifi and Malindi were full. We thought of flying back but our budget could not allow for such an impromptu expense of that magnitude. So we ended up calling the Tahmeed bus’ Mombasa offices and booking to depart from there. That meant we had to take a matatu from Kilifi to Mombasa.

Kilifi

Kilifi: More Than Your Usual Coastal Town

Kilifi is a resort town on the coast of Kenya , 56 kilometres (35 mi) northeast by road of Mombasa. The town lies on the Kilifi Creek and sits on the estuary of the Goshi River. Kilifi is capital of the Kilifi County and has a population of 122,899 (2009 census). It is known for its beach and for the ruins of Mnarani, including mosques and tombs, dating from the 14th to the 17th century.

Kilifi town

The town sits on both sides of the estuary and are linked by the Kilifi Bridge which overlooks the estuary. The south side has the Mnarani ruins and Shauri Moyo beach while the north side is the main part of Kilifi Town and Bofa Beach. The weather is generally warm throughout the year (above 25 degrees) with two seasons of moderate rainfall (about 800-1000mm). Long periods of rain start around March and last into July, while the short periods start around October and last until December. The terrain is generally flat with sandy-loamy soils.

The town is somewhat a small and calm town. There are no skyscrapers or traffic hampering your way around. Actually, the main mode of transport is by tuktuks and motorcycles. They are in large numbers.