MALINDI
Area: Kenya


Location:
Halfway up the E coast on the Indian Ocean, 380 miles SE of the capital, Nairobi, 70 miles N of Mombasa, 40 miles N of Kilifi, 140 miles SW of Lamu. Malindi airport 2 miles SE, Mombasa's Moi International Airport 80 miles S.

Telephone code from UK:
254 12

Position:
On low ground around the panoramic sweep of a wide bay near the mouth of the Galana River. Wild dune-backed coast to the N, and more developed beach to the S, forming part of Malindi Marine National Park.

Description:
Known as the "Little Italy" of Kenya because of the heavy Italian bias in hotels and restaurants, but there is also an older, traditional Swahili-Arab flavour to the town. Smaller by far than Mombasa, its hotels are all within 3 or 4 miles of each other along the beach. The old town is a maze of narrow streets which can be bustling and chaotic; this is supplemented by a couple of modern shopping parades with pizza restaurants, banks, offices, supermarkets and upmarket boutiques.

Suitability:
Package tours from continental Europe, specifically Italy and Germany. Will suit all sizes and ages including those wanting a bit of nightlife.

Accommodation:
Plenty of hotel types to suit all tastes, from very cheap flop houses in the centre to package tour beach hotels and a handful of exclusive and opulent palaces. High season is from December to March plus July/August when busy with European visitors.

Shopping:
A true shopper's paradise. On the beach in town African carvers sell soapstone and wood carvings. Many stylish Italian shops sell beaded leatherware. Lamu/Swahili-style furniture-makers on the outskirts of town. Upmarket outlets mix with lower-priced shops selling clothes, local fabrics and hippie-type clothing. The open-air market is well worth a visit.

Beach:
The best are S of town towards Casuarina Point. These are sheltered by coral reefs a few hundred yards offshore, white and wide with warm water at low tide, but extremely narrow at high tide. Hotels N of Uhuru Gardens have wide beaches of darker sand unprotected by reefs, and the sea can consequently be wilder, though there are more opportunities for undisturbed walks and beachcombing. Seaweed covers all beaches from June/July to September, and sometimes in November, though many hotels clear their beachfronts daily. The shore can get very windy in September, when there is a risk of getting sand-blasted.

Entertainments:
Daytime: deep sea fishing, scuba diving, windsurfing, sailing, snorkelling in Malindi National Marine Park. Tennis, 9-hole golf course, horse riding. Vasco da Gama Pillar dating from 1499. Juma'a mosque on the spot where slave trading took place until 1873. Pillar tomb containing the remains of Sheikh Abdul Hassan. Nightlife: plenty of action with live music, discos, a casino, many late bars, and shows at larger package hotels.

Eating:
Some of the best seafood and Italian restaurants in Kenya. Many pizza restaurants, several beer gardens and many other choices.

Public-transport:
Large bustling public bus station, a mile outside town, for all points S. Car hire offices. Taxis readily available in the centre and at the airport. Daily buses N to Lamu in convoy from city centre.

Local-excursions:
Mombasa Town tour and show cruise (» day). Watamu National Marine Park and 14th-century Swahili ruins of Gedi (1 day). Malindi National Marine Park and snake park (» day). Robinson Island lunch trips. Tsavo East safari park (long day or overnight). National Parks of Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Amboseli (2_4 days).