Picture an Indian Ocean beach. Palm trees swaying. Clear, blue water as far as the eye can see. Mangroves lining the coast. Soft sand between your toes.
Now, imagine that you have this beach all to yourself. The scene you’re picturing is reality on Lamu Island, Kenya.
Lamu is Kenya’s version of Zanzibar — except older, less gentrified, more authentic, and radically less crowded. It has a historic old town where it feels like time has stood still for 200 years. It has the aforementioned beaches. And, for the culture vulture, it has dhow trips to hidden 11th-century ruins. In short, there are tons of things to do in Lamu no matter what type of traveler you are.
In this post, I’ll cover the top places to visit in Lamu. By the time you finish reading, I promise you’ll be ready to book your flight to this hidden gem!
The Top Things to Do in Lamu Town
The beating heart of the Lamu archipelago, Lamu Town is one of the oldest settlements in coastal East Africa. Its narrow whitewashed lanes, donkey taxis, and laundry hanging on roof decks hark back to a simpler time. To this day the town only has a small handful of vehicles.
The seafront bustles with activity as fishing dhows and water taxis arrive. Touts hawk for your attention, promising “dhow trip, cheap price.” The smell of grilled seafood and fresh passionfruit wafts from restaurant balconies.
But just a few streets back, there’s hardly another person in sight. You might see a couple kids tossing a ball around, or a group of old men gathered to play chess. Women selling vegetable from small markets smile and say “jambo” (hello in Swahili) as you walk by.
Lamu Town is the natural starting point to explore the archipelago — and the best base for accommodation. But don’t head for the beach too soon! Many of the best Lamu tourist attractions are right here in town.
1. Go on a walking tour of Lamu Town
You could spend days wandering the back streets of the old city (and you should). But you won’t discover half of what it has to offer on your own. The only way to really get under the skin of Lamu is by hiring a guide for a few hours to show you its secrets. A walking tour is one of the best things to do in Lamu while you’re still getting oriented.
Your first destination is a traditional Swahili house. My guide took me to a friend’s home — he just knocked on the door and asked if he could show me around. No problem!
Swahili houses are masterful works of art from the outside. Their doors, in particular, tell extensive stories about their owners. But that’s nothing compared to the interior — a courtyard surrounded by traditional dwellings for each member of the family. Many homes have retained their traditional decor as well.
After learning more about the house, you’ll continue through the neighborhoods to visit a wood carver, coconut farmer, traditional well, and furniture maker. You’ll learn about the significance each has to the community. You’ll also climb to a roof deck for a view across the whole town.
Finally, you’ll walk through the central business district, through the market and up to the main mosque in town. Then you’ll check out some of the traditional factories. Along the way your guide will point out hidden-gem restaurants that see few tourists. Finally, the tour ends at the seafront, where you’ll meet some of the donkey keepers at the center of the island’s economy.
Time: About 3 hours
Cost: I paid 700 shillings for the tour and tipped 300 shillings
How to book: The amazing Arnold at Jambo House can hook you up with a good guide. Don’t book on the street.
2. Visit the Lamu Museum
A walking tour gives you a great sense of the history of Lamu. But to do a deeper dive into the culture and art of the island, you’ll need to visit the Lamu Museum.
The museum contains a wealth of traditional artwork — including an impressive display on Swahili doors. (Did you know Zanzibar style is different from Lamu style, but they both take their cues from Jaipur style, which has its roots in India?) You’ll also see traditional musical instruments and dress from across northeastern Africa.
Additionally, the Lamu Museum will teach you more about the history of the island. You’ll learn about the trade routes from India, down through Somalia and on to Zanzibar and Madagascar.
Finally, don’t miss the second-floor display on dhow racing! It’s Lamu’s most intensely competitive sport.
Time: About 90 minutes
Cost: 500 shillings. A guide will want to show you around and explain the displays and will expect a tip; 200 shillings is plenty.
How to book: Just show up! The museum is open from 8 am to 6 pm.
3. Visit the donkey sanctuary
As I said before, donkeys are essential on Lamu. They provide transportation, move goods across town, and serve as beloved companions to their owners.
But these donkeys are work animals first and foremost. So sometimes things go wrong, and the donkeys get hurt or grow too old to continue working.
Lamu’s residents believe in protecting each and every donkey on the island. So they established a donkey sanctuary, where injured donkeys can rehabilitate and get medical care and older donkeys can happily live out their lives.
You can’t miss the donkey sanctuary when walking along the waterfront. It’s the spot with a bunch of donkeys hanging around outside! If you want to learn more about its operations, simply ask the staff to show you around.
Time: A few minutes or however long you want to spend taking adorable donkey selfies
Cost: Free
How to book: Just show up!
4. Watch live music at Moonrise Restaurant
Lamu is a majority-Muslim island. So “nightlife” usually means a leisurely dinner at a cafe followed by a drink at your hotel if you choose. But the town has one proper entertainment venue in the evenings — Moonrise Restaurant.
This is easily the nicest (and priciest) dining establishment in Lamu Town, and eating here alone is one of the top things to do in Lamu. But on Thursday nights, it also offers live performances of traditional music starting at 7:30 pm in its acacia-tree-covered courtyard.
The concert lasts an hour and a half, and it’s totally free. The music is very relaxing and enjoyable and the vibe is very low-key — this isn’t a party spot.
Time: Get there at 7 to get a good table.
Cost: Expect to spend upwards of 1,000 shillings on dinner here; more if you buy drinks.
How to book: In high season, it’s worth making a reservation. Call in the afternoon to book your table.
5. People-watch in the courtyard at Lamu Fort
If you go for a walk around Lamu’s old town, it won’t be long before you find yourself in the huge plaza in front of Lamu Fort. This is the center of life (just a few steps from the market), and people-watching here is one of the best things to do in Lamu.
Have a seat under one of the acacia trees in the early evening and watch as the plaza comes to life. Kids play ball games (and try to pose for your camera). Adults play chess. Buy yourself a grilled corn with chili from the street vendor who sets up near the gate (100 shillings) and soak it all in.
The fort itself blends elements of Omani and Swahili architecture. it defended the town for centuries, but today the locals repurposed it as the library. You can visit with a ticket to the Lamu Museum — the second floor has temporary exhibitions.
Time: However long you want
Cost: If you want to visit the Lamu Fort without a ticket to the Lamu Museum, it costs 500 shillings
How to book: Just show up!
Other things to note: While generally people in Lamu are very willing to be photographed, here you will be met with hostility if you interrupt peoples’ games to take photos. Don’t even try to ask. Just put your camera down.
Top things to do in Shela
Shela is like the glitzy, glamorous version of Lamu Town. While Lamu’s alleys have donkey crap everywhere and its businesses have weather-worn Swahili doors, Shela’s high-end hotels and restaurants have invested in restoration projects.
Plus, there’s the beach. Shela has one of the most beautiful — and isolated — stretches of Indian Ocean coastline that you’ll find anywhere from Madagascar to the Maldives. All you have to do is walk a short ways and you’ll have it all to yourself.
Shela has some of the best things to do in Lamu for travelers who just might want to pamper themselves a bit.
1. Shop in the artsy boutiques
Shela is a hotspot for textile and jewelry artists. You can get custom pieces made by hand in any of a dozen or so boutiques.
Aalyshah Design is a favorite for clothing — you can buy a high-end version of the loose robes that all the locals wear here.
Wherever you go, be prepared to spend big. Shela is not a cheap souvenir stop, although the restaurants on the beachfront double as curio shops.
Time: However long you want. Shops are open from 9 am to 5 pm. Anything on the seafront will be inaccessible at high tide.
Cost: Only what you buy
How to book: Just show up!
2. Get a massage or take a yoga class
Shela is a great spa-day destination. Many of the boutiques, restaurants, bars and guesthouses offer services like massages.
One of the most popular options is the beachfront guesthouse known as The Fort. It’s a 500 meter walk outside of town. You can walk along the beach or through the back alleys.
Yoga is also a popular activity in Shela. Banana House Guesthouse is the place to go. You can even book a private class.
Time: An hour per activity
Cost: A 1-hour massage starts around 3,000 shillings. Yoga classes start at 900 shillings.
How to book: Book massages or yoga classes at Banana House at the link above. Otherwise, just walk around and find somewhere to your liking.
3. Go to the beach
While Lamu is a fantastic cultural destination, most people are really here for the beach. And Shela’s is spectacular.
Picture 12 km of perfect golden sand, with hardly another person in sight. Warm, crystal-clear turquoise water with no waves. Shela Beach is truly the Indian Ocean getaway of your dreams.
The beach begins just outside of town (in the opposite direction of Lamu), and it goes on, and on, and on. Solo travelers should stick with the area between Shela and The Fort for safety reasons — even in this small area, you may well be the only traveler around.
The beach is at its best at low tide (check tide times here). The water is shallow — you can swim way out and still touch the bottom. But at high tide, the ocean will nudge you into the dunes above town.
Shela Beach has virtually no shade. It has one very popular acacia tree big enough to sit under, right near the town — but chances are a Kenyan family will have already taken that spot by the time you arrive. Pack plenty of sunscreen!
Even though Lamu is a very conservative Muslim island, and much more conservative than Kenya as a whole, bikinis are completely fine on the beach. Just cover up when you walk through Shela.
Time: However long you want
Cost: Free!
How to book: Just show up
4. Take a sunset tour into the sand dunes
Lamu’s most magical sunset view is from the sand dunes above Shela Beach. A hike into the dunes is one of the most essential things to do in Lamu.
Tours start in either Lamu Town or Shela. You’ll take an hour-long walk through the beachside ecosystem, taking in mangroves and acacias along the way. Finally, you’ll reach the summit of the tallest dune.
Here, you’ll pause for some coffee and biscuits while you watch the sky turn all kinds of magical tropical colors. The views of whitewashed Shela are stunning.
After the sun goes down, you’ll head back. If you return to Lamu Town, you’ll need to take a boat (100 shillings) — but you can walk back to Shela.
Do not explore the dunes above Shela — at sunset or at any other time — without a guide. Muggings are on the rise, and you’re quite a long way from anyone who could possibly hear you call for help.
Time: About three hours from Lamu Town, or 90 minutes from Shela.
Cost: 1,200 shillings per person
How to book: Arnold at Jambo House can hook you up with a guide
Things to do in Lamu Archipelago off the main island
Most visitors to Lamu only explore the town itself and Shela Beach. But if you have some time on your hands, the archipelago has lots of other incredible attractions.
The natural starting point for branching out is Manda Island. This island is linked to Lamu with good public transportation. You’ll visit Manda when you fly in — the airport is here, directly across from Lamu Town. But further afield, the island has stunning beaches, mangrove forests, and ancient ruins.
1. Relax at Diamond Beach Village on Manda Island
If Shela Beach is too crowded for you, take a quick boat ride across the bay and check out Diamond Beach on Manda instead.
If anything, Diamond Beach is even more beautiful than Shela Beach. It is less impacted by tides, so you can enjoy it at all hours of the day. It’s also less windy, which can be a huge advantage during rainy season.
Diamond Beach Village is an eco-retreat and restaurant on the most gorgeous stretch of Diamond Beach. They set up a dozen day-beds that non-guests can use if you purchase a meal at the restaurant. The best part: they have shade!
The restaurant is Italian-themed, and the pizzas and coffees are well worth the slightly-inflated prices. The atmosphere is true “desert island getaway.” The staff is friendly. And they have clean restrooms that you can use all day while you hang out at the beach.
Diamond Beach was probably my single favorite part of Lamu. Don’t miss it.
Time: As long as you want.
Cost: Theoretically, public boats from Shela cost 100 shillings. In practice, they’re so infrequent that you’re better off paying 300 shillings for a private ride. No public boats run from Lamu Town — a private boat costs 800 shillings. Lunch at Diamond Beach costs about 1,000 shillings.
How to book: Head to the boat docks in Lamu or Shela for a ride. The staff at Diamond Beach can call you a boat when you’re ready to leave.
2. Explore Takwa Ruins
The ancient Swahili town of Takwa was the original settlement in the Lamu Archipelago. It ruled the coast from the 15th-17th centuries, until Manda Island lost its supply of fresh water, forcing the locals to resettle on Lamu.
An hour-long tour of the crumbling ruins provides fascinating insight into the ancient world of Africa. Portuguese traders explored Takwa in the 15th century, and took back to Europe the uniquely Swahili concept of bathrooms inside of the house. The Central Mosque, and all of the houses, face Mecca. And at the center of the town is an enormous furnace that used the heat from the sun to break down stone and dead coral for cement.
The best way to reach Takwa is by dhow — itself a magical experience. You can only go at high tide. It’s about an hour-long sailing trip through the mangroves, around the small islands between Lamu and Manda. You can also reach the ruins on a motorbike from the airport, but if you can find buddies to share the dhow with, it’s about the same price and far more pleasant.
Once you arrive, you’ll likely have the ruins to yourself. All visitors must take a guide (it’s worth it — there are no signs). The tour includes a stroll around the town as well as a short side trip to a lookout where you can see up the coast all the way to the border with Somalia.
Time: About four hours, including the dhow from Lamu Town.
Cost: The dhow trip costs 25,000, split among passengers. The ruins cost 500 shillings, and the guide will expect a tip of at least a couple hundred shillings.
How to book: Do not book a dhow on the street. Instead, contact Arnold at Jambo House for a trustworthy captain.
3. Take a dhow trip to snorkel at the Manda Toto reef
Lamu Island’s classic dhow trip is the full-day excursion to Manda Toto. This is the best snorkeling destination in the archipelago.
The sailing trip to reach the snorkeling spot lasts about two hours. You’ll stop along the way to fish and swim. The dhows are all Mozambican style, meaning they have day-beds and plenty of shade.
Once you arrive, the snorkeling is truly incredible — at the right time of year (January-March). You’ll eat lunch — fresh grilled fish with coconut rice — on the boat in between swims.
This trip is really only worth it if you visit when the water is clear enough. When I was in Lamu in August, locals advised to skip it because the visibility was too low.
Time: All day
Cost: The dhow trip costs 50,000, split among passengers. This includes lunch.
How to book: Do not book a dhow on the street. Instead, contact Arnold at Jambo House for a trustworthy captain.
4. Explore Pate Island on foot or by dhow
Pate Island is the true hidden gem of the Lamu Archipelago. Due to the difficult of reaching it, only a small fraction of visitors make it here. Accommodation and food are bare-bones, but it’s probably the most authentic travel experience you can have on the entire Swahili coast.
The island has a number of Swahili ruins sites, which you can explore on your own or with a guide. It also has some picturesque little villages. But the real attraction is sampling village life at one of the excellent homestays on the island.
Most travelers who visit Pate do it on an organized tour. This is the only realistic option unless you have a lot of time — even a dhow tour involves at least one full day on the boat in each direction (possibly more, depending on tides and currents).
Once you reach Pate, you can explore the island on foot or on one of the handful of motorbikes the locals use to get around.
Time: Allow at least a week to fully explore the island. If you plan to rely on public boats, know that they only depart once or twice a week, they’re wildly overcrowded, and they leave at the crack of dawn.
Cost: You’ll spend a couple hundred dollars on a private tour, but if time is no issue, you can do it on your own for a fraction of that.
How to book: The Lamu Museum can organize a guide and a dhow captain.
Where to stay if you’re backpacking in Lamu
If you want to stick to a budget while exploring the best things to do in Lamu, you should really only consider one option for your accommodation: Jambo House. This 5-room guesthouse on a quiet side street in Lamu Town is run by the energetic German host Arnold. He’ll hook you up with literally everything you could ever imagine needing to explore Lamu.
When you arrive, Arnold will send someone to pick you up at the airport for free. After showing you your room, he’ll take you up to the roof deck. Here you’ll soak in the views of Lamu and the beach while sipping a cold fruit juice as Arnold takes you through a massive binder of all of the activities in Lamu.
Arnold has lived in Lamu for years, so he has a deep list of connections to reliable boat captains and guides. Any activity you arrange through him is guaranteed to be safe and enjoyable. (On the street – cheaper, but often a scam).
As far as the accommodation itself, Jambo House is pretty basic but comfortable. My room (2500 shillings a night) had a very comfortable bed, desk, chair, private bathroom, and cold-water shower. It also included an excellent breakfast.
Arnold has perhaps the only cold beers and sodas on the entire island in a well-stocked cooler on his roof deck. And the roof deck itself is a wonderful place for a nightcap or a lazy afternoon.
Lastly, Jambo House is a great place to meet other budget travelers. I teamed up with a couple to save money on a dhow trip, and I did the sunset hike with a group of friends I met here.
Book your stay at Jambo House here (not an affiliate link — I just loved this place so much that I want you to get to experience it too). Don’t even think about showing up without a reservation.
How to get to Lamu and how to get around
One reason Lamu remains so delightfully off-the-beaten-path is because the only realistic way to get here is by air. The tiny airport is on Manda Island and has a handful of flights to Nairobi and Malindi each day.
The cheapest flights are on Silverstone Air (around $50 round-trip), but they’re not super reliable (read: delays and cancellations on almost every flight) and have a less-than-spectacular safety record. I paid about double to fly on Safarilink, which is bougie as hell but extremely dependable. The planes they use from Nairobi-Lamu are 8-seat bush planes.
Theoretically, you could also take a bus from Mombasa or Malindi for far cheaper. But the nearest land-based province to Lamu is a hotbed of Kenya-Somali conflict. The buses are considered very dangerous — the situation has improved in recent years, but even the locals are very hesitant to travel by road in this region.
To get from Manda Airport to Lamu, hop in one of the regular public boats for 100 shillings. It takes about 5 minutes. Your luggage will get wet.
Once you reach Lamu, the easiest way to travel is by boat. Public boats ply the waters between Shela and Lamu Town from dawn to dusk for 100 shillings. A private ride costs 500. After dark, the price skyrockets to 1,500 shillings.
You can also walk between Lamu and Shela during daylight hours. It takes about 45 minutes along either the inland pathways or, at low tide, along the beach. Do not even consider this after dark — muggings are common.
Locals may offer you a ride between Lamu and Shela by motorbike. Don’t take them up on it. The ride is mostly through sand and the drivers are all teenagers — there is no way this is safe.
Is Lamu safe?
Lamu is one of the only areas of Kenya that continues to appear in travel advisories. But these advisories apply to the mainland county — not the archipelago.
Back in 2011, Lamu was one of the most dangerous places for tourists in Kenya after a spate of kidnappings and murders. Somali pirates were responsible (yes, really). But it didn’t take long for police to dramatically increase their presence on the island and in the waters between Lamu and Somalia.
Today, Lamu is one of the safest destinations in Kenya. As a solo woman, I never felt uncomfortable walking around Lamu Town at night by myself. In fact, lots of local women were out in the streets at all hours — a refreshing change from Nairobi.
The only area that isn’t safe is the walk between Lamu and Shela after dark. Additionally, the far end of Shela Beach (past The Fort) is not a great place for solo travelers carrying valuables, and I’d stay out of the dunes in Shela. But if you’re in a group of two or more, Shela is completely safe (still don’t walk to Lamu after dark though).
The biggest risk to travelers in Lamu is getting scammed. Dhow captains and “beach boys” prey on newly arrived tourists. They offer cheap prices on the front end, but they’ll either run with your money and not deliver the tour they promised, or they’ll take you out into the middle of the ocean and demand exorbitant amounts of money to bring you back. (If you don’t carry cash, they’d be happy to take you to an ATM, of course.)
After about two strolls along the harborfront, you’ll know exactly who the Beach Boys are. They will probably have bugged you about 15 times by that point. So they aren’t hard to avoid. Just book all tours through your accommodation and you’ll be fine — in fact, once you’ve booked with a reliable captain, the word spreads fast and the Beach Boys leave you alone.
A few other random tips about Lamu
- Eat at Island Dishes (only open for lunch). It’s cheap (I paid 200 shillings for tomato matoke, coconut beans and rice), surprisingly veggie-friendly and the best food on the island.
- Whispers Cafe has out-of-this-world cappuccinos. They can also do to-go sandwiches on bread baked in-house if you want to pack a lunch for your dhow trip. The staff here are awesome.
- Lamu’s climate involves lots of sticky, tropical heat, and air conditioning is nearly impossible to come by. Pack loose, lightweight clothing.
- Locals have harassed and even assaulted tourists who refuse to cover up in town. Whether you agree or not, as a visitor, you should respect the local customs. Ladies — that means cover your shoulders and knees unless you’re on the beach or on a dhow.
- You will never eat fresher seafood than what you get in Lamu — restaurants buy your order straight from the dhows as they pull in.
- Lamu has a serious sanitation problem, and the donkey waste doesn’t help. Watch your step, especially after it rains. This is one of those places where the tap water tastes so bad that even the most dedicated anti-plastic-waste, Steri-pen-wielding traveler will eventually cave and buy bottled water.
- ATM’s are plentiful on Lamu, so you don’t need to carry tons of cash with you unless you’re heading to Pate.
- Locals greet each other with “Selam” or “Salam aleykum” (the traditional Muslim greetings), but non-Muslims should stick with the Swahili “Jambo.”
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Wow! Lamu looks absolutely beautiful! I will definitely keep it in mind when I eventually do my African trip. 🙂
I hope you get to visit someday!
Such a great post!!!
What a beautiful post of this city in Kenya! I hadn’t really considered how unique the coast of Kenya is. Thank you for sharing these photos and tips.
Thanks Yara! Swahili culture is fascinating, and so different from inland East Africa.
I had a Kenya itinerary ready to go, and then we caught a super cheap flight deal to Australia. This was last summer. Now I’m worried when we’ll be able to go! 😕 Saving this one for later as a great way to end a Kenya vacay!
Argh, I’m so sorry to hear that! I hope you’re able to visit before too long.
It was so interesting to discover this part of Kenya thanks to you! I would dream about an empty beach with clear waters!
Thanks Ophelie — it’ll be hard for any other beaches to live up to this one.
Wow, Lamu looks awesome. So vibrant, so colourful! I’ve always wanted to go to Kenya so this will be great to refer back to when I do 🙂
I hope you get to visit Kenya someday– it’s one of the most magical travel destinations I’ve ever been to.
Kenya looks fascinating!!! And so unique to have donkeys just wandering around the streets!
It’s really bizarre! It’s like stepping back 200 years in time. Unfortunately the motorbikes are starting to take hold.
Cool article! Someone recommended Lamu to me when I was in Kenya…would love to go back and visit. Sounds amazing. And I love Eastern Africa.
Thanks Lauren! Yeah, I’m constantly dreaming of going back to East Africa.
Loved this article! I can’t wait to visit Lamu soon.
Thanks so much Cirrena! Lamu is amazing. I hope you get the chance to go soon!
wow, very informative post! I’m Kenyan and this will be my first Lamu trip (yes. it’s taken this long!), you’ve elaborated in so much greater depth and detail than my Kenyan friends could:)
40 Years ago I came to Lamu.It allways was my dream to retire there.But life took a different route. Now I live in Hungary but still dream about my beloved lamu island. Tourrism took over and perhaps spoilt the beauty of this nice part of the world.
Oh it must’ve been amazing 40 years ago! It still feels pretty off the beaten path, but I’m sure it’s much more crowded now.