WATAMU
Area: Kenya


Location:
Halfway up the E coast on the Indian Ocean, 365 miles E of the capital, Nairobi, 15 miles S of Malindi, 25 miles N of Kilifi, 55 miles N of Mombasa, 155 miles SW of Lamu. Malindi airport is 13 miles N; Mombasa's Moi International Airport 62 miles S.

Telephone code from UK:
254 12

Position:
Watamu village lies on the neck of a narrow sandy peninsula which points SW parallel with the coast. Bounded by the mangroves of Mida Creek to the W, and the Indian Ocean with its coral reefs to the E. Both areas are part of Watamu Marine National Park.

Description:
A relaxed environment on a human scale with an attractive coastline. Made up of a long peninsula on which the larger hotels have been built, and a small fishing village whose inhabitants have become well used to tourists, and often speak several languages. The architecture is a haphazard collection of functional low-rise concrete buildings and more recent structures with palm thatch roofs and Arab styling. Many curio shops, basic restaurants and bars, and a rapidly growing number of small-scale low-rise hotels built in traditional Swahili style.

Suitability:
Families with children, couples and singles, all types and nationalities. British package tours concentrate on the area S of the village, with Italian to the N. A Mecca for water sports enthusiasts and deep-sea fishermen.

Accommodation:
Ranges from small budget properties and guest houses in and around the village, to larger bustling package tour hotels along the peninsula. The latter offering fishing and water sports. High season is from December to March plus July/August when busy with European charter flights.

Shopping:
Dozens of curio stalls in the village sell all manner of souvenirs, as do beach hawkers. Colourful outdoor fruit and vegetable market in the village _ but bargain hard.

Beach:
Powdery white sand stretches for miles along the peninsula, forming three outstanding bays: Watamu, Blue Lagoon and Turtle. Each is separated by high cliffs of coral rock with reefs just offshore. The main draw is Watamu Marine National Park's exquisite coral garden. Connoisseurs rate it better than Malindi's. It is a spectacular shallow reef in generally excellent condition teeming with tropical fish making it an excellent snorkelling base. The beach shelves gently, so one can walk out to the reef at low tide _ a good environment for beachcombers. It is bordered by palms and casuarina trees providing welcome shade. The beaches in all three bays tend to clog up with seaweed from May_September, and there are no water sports activities in the June_August rainy season.

Entertainments:
Daytime: bird-watching, tennis, cycling (good flat roads). Water sports: glass-bottom boat trips over the coral reefs, windsurfing, snorkelling, sailing. A good centre for deep-sea game-fishing and scuba diving. Nightlife: the village has a handful of lively discos and bars patronised by locals, expats and tourists. Some function as pick-up joints, but the atmosphere is invariably laid-back. Many food kiosks open late at night. The bigger resort hotels also have discos and entertainment, but these lack the character of the village venues.

Eating:
Improving steadily, with a small choice of good upmarket restaurants _ mainly Italian and one Chinese _ one or two meriting a splurge. Otherwise, many basic eateries serving both local food (stodgy cooked maize flour with stews, some seafood) and unexciting fast food. Ocean Sports serves seafood _ try Swahili-style fish made with coconut milk; a local speciality. Curry lunch at Hemmingway's on Sunday is another option.

Public-transport:
"Matatus" (pick-up minibuses) regularly connect Watamu with the main Mombasa-Malindi road, from where frequent matatus and buses leave at all hours of the day. Taxis at all the hotels. Car hire is only available from Malindi. Bicycle hire can be arranged locally.

Local-excursions:
Gedi National Monument for first-class 14th-century Swahili ruins and traditional Giriama village with dancers. Mida Creek for a sundowner cruise. Arabuko-Sokoke forest (» day) the last of the indigenous coastal forests and one of the most important conservation sites in E Africa. Malindi.