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Kiwayu, Kenya

Kiwayu Safari Village

This is a lovely remote island retreat off the northern Kenyan coast. Accommodation is fun but may be rustic by some standards. Grass mats above the sand create the floors of the rooms and they all are open air with fans & mosquito netting. The waters are calm - perfect for sailing or water skiing.  — Mango's view

Nestling amid the mainland dunes, the oasis of Kiwayu Safari Village lies to the north of a sheltered lagoon off the Island of Kiwayu. Kiwayu Island lies on Kenya's East Coast on the Indian Ocean and forms part of the northern Lamu archipelago. For centuries the bay of Kiwayu has been a calling point for Arab dhows trading in ivory, carpets and carved chests traveling between Arabia, Mombasa and Zanzibar filling their "debis" with sweet water from their wells. Kiwayu is surrounded by a Marine Reserve protected by the Kenya Wildlife Services and to the north and west, the adjacent Dodori and Boni Game Reserves.

A maximum of 36 guests can stay in 18 spacious and beautifully decorated local-style cottages (bandas) spread out along the shoreline. Your home is a banda built in the local Bajuni tradition with palm thatched roof and carpeted floor. Each banda is a suite consisting of a bedroom, dressing room, and shower with running water and lavatory. Each hammock-strung veranda offers privacy and a panoramic view over the bay. And each one is within a few meters of the water's edge, clustered around the restaurant, the bar and the boats. Every room is furnished with a king-size bed surrounded by a turquoise mosquito net. It is simple, spacious and well furnished with different sitting areas and tables - with many options for that all-important siesta.

Enjoy fresh catches such as: charcoal-grilled lobster with tarragon sauce, giant mangrove crabs, red snapper, rock cod, tuna, and sashimi with wasabi at the bar, sweet rock oysters and other shell delicacies. Activities include snorkeling, water-skiing, golfing, windsurfing or skimming the waves in a laser boat. Deep sea fishing yields tuna, kingfish and striped blue and black marlin. Creek fishing in the mangrove channels can find rock cod, snapper and barracuda. A daily air service operates from Nairobi's Wilson airport via Lamu. Private charter flights are available. The flight is about two hours long.

Includes: All meals, laundry & activities (windsurfing, Dhow sailing, snorkelling, mangrove trips, water skiing, laser sailing)