Lamu Island

Located off the far north coast of Kenya is Lamu Archipelago, a tropical paradise!  Picturesque towns, long beaches, warm water and traditional Swahili cuisine make this a perfect holiday destination (although the New York Times considers it wildly inconvenient to get to!).  The main island in the archipelago, Lamu, is home to Lamu Town and Sheila Village.  Lamu Town is reputed to be Kenya's oldest living town, established in the 14th century, and is one of the original Swahili settlements.  

Traditional Swahili doors

 

Traditional sailing dhow with views of Shela in the background.

Because Lamu was on the main Arabian trading route, it is predominantly Muslim.  So don’t be surprised if you are woken up at 5am to the call to prayer or have trouble finding a cold beer! 


Muslim woman wearing her burka on the beach.

  There are a few establishments catering to the Western crowd, so it is possible to enjoy a Tusker baridi as you watch the sunset over the Indian Ocean.  FYI - Peponi Hotel in Shela is just the place to do so! 

Enjoying the evening breeze on the deck of Peponi.

Gordy and I flew to Lamu, about an hour flight from Nairobi.  It is possible to drive, but the 10+ hour bus ride and potential for banditry along parts of the route make ground travel unappealing!  Upon arrival at the Lamu airport, you know you’re at the coast as the heat and humidity instantly greet you.  The airport is actually located on Manda Island, across the channel from Lamu Island.  There are no cars on Manda or Lamu, but locals are at the ready to carry your luggage from the airport and down the jetty to the waiting motorboats/dhows (for a few shillings of course).  Once you reach the jetty, you are treated to a spectacular view of Lamu Town across the water.

Lamu Town

Leaving the airport and heading to Lamu.

After crossing the channel, our dhow driver followed the shoreline towards Shela Village, located on the tip of Lamu.

While Lamu Town is busy and gritty, Shela is quiet and clean - and where many of the nicer hotels and guesthouses are located.  Shela Village and Lamu Town are approximately 3km apart and can be walked in about 30 minutes (if the tide is not too high).  Of course, you can opt to travel by donkey if you are so inclined.  Donkeys are numerous on the island, used to transport goods and occasionally people.

At the edge of Shela, the picturesque 12km beach begins.  The sand is soft and the ocean is warm, making it easy to lounge in the water until you've turned into a prune!  Locals wander up and down the beach selling fresh made samosas and cold beverages, so there’s no need to ever leave the beach!

Camels hiding behind the brush.

 Adding to its picturesque nature (and one
 reason why there are no cars on Lamu Island ) are the extremely narrow streets!

Many of the guesthouses in Shale were former homes, and our hotel, Baitil Aman, was formerly a royal home!  Although sparsely decorated, Baitil Aman is quite beautiful. 

Entrance to Baitil Aman (from the inside looking out)

View of Baitil Aman from across the garden.

The dining area and donkey water dishes.

Our room was located on the top floor with a large patio providing excellent views over Shale Town - a perfect place to relax after a taxing day at the beach!

View of interior courtyard from our room.

View of Shela Village from the room.

Enjoying the patio!

One afternoon we walked into Lamu Town (although probably not advisable during the midday heat, especially if you don't like to get sweaty) and explored the old town, a UNESCO world heritage site.  To make up for the loss of bodily fluids, we made several stops for fresh juice and other cold beverages.  One of my favorite things about Kenya is the fresh juice, especially mango juice!

Although many locals offered us sailing trips aboard their traditional dhows, promising freshly caught fish for lunch, great snorkeling and relaxation, we opted to sail ourselves and rented a Laser one afternoon.
 

Dhow with Shela Beach in the background.

Boats anchored off Manda Island (Shela Village across the channel).

After two wonderful days in Shela, we headed over to Manda Island for some serious R&R.  Manda Island truly felt like being on a desert island - with the beach practically to ourselves.
 

Our accommodations - a thatched roof hut right by the beach. 

View from inside the hut.

Because the season was winding down (in fact the hotel was shutting for two months the day after we left), there was only one other guest at the hotel.  What were the chances that this guest (from England) knew of Portland, Maine?  Well, it turns out he is a frequent visitor to Peaks Island!

The dining area at Diamond Beach Village.

All good things must come to an end, and before we knew it, it was time to head back to the hustle and bustle of Nairobi.  If you find yourself in Kenya, I highly recommend a visit to Lamu and the surrounding islands!

Samburu National Reserve

My second visitor from the States arrived the other week!  Gordy flew into Nairobi on April 22nd, and we wasted little time starting our Kenyan adventure.  Early Friday morning we were picked up by our safari guide, Sam, who drove us 5+ hours to Samburu Nation Park.  Several hours north of Mount Kenya, Samburu is located in a very hot and arid part of the country. 
 

We've now entered camel country!

Preparing to enter Samburu National Preserve!



Gordy with Sam, our safari guide.

The Uaso Nyiro River runs through the Samburu National Reserve, and it attracts much wildlife especially during the dry season. Our home for the next few days was Elephant Bedroom Camp, located on the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River and  perfect for viewing the local elephants!

Great elephant viewing seats.

View from the elephant viewing seats!

View of the river from inside our tent.

Our accommodations - pretty nice!



The dining and lounging area.

A monkey wandering through the camp.

 

True to the camps name, elephants passed through day and night!

"Obama" the elephant.



Elephant footprint right by our tent!



Maria, an Oryx raised by the camp.  She's definitely not shy and makes sure not to miss a meal at Elephant Bedroom!

 Samburu National Reserve is home to a number of rare species such as the Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and the beisa oryx - referred to collectively as the Samburu Five.  We spotted all but the Somali ostrich, who are known to hide in the hills during the wet season.  Lions, leopards and cheetahs are also found in the reserve, including a lioness named Kamunyak who adopted a baby oryx (the baby oryx has since been killed by other lions). 

Giraffe bones

Vulture guinea fowl

Orxy and antelopes

A beautiful afternoon in the reserve.

A Samburu lion.

Reticulated giraffe - notice how the distincitve pattern stops at its knees.

A cheetah!

An eagle

Grevy's zebra - its stripes are very narrow and close together
but do not go all the way around (see the white belly).

The tree ornaments are actually bird nests!

Although Samburu is a lesser-known game park, and animals can be more difficult to spot than in the Masai Mara, this also means that there are fewer people (and cars) driving around trying to spot the animals.  We felt like we had the place to ourselves much of the time. 

At one point we were following a sprinting giraffe - I wish I had a photo or video to post, but you'll just have to trust me when I say it was an amazing experience! 

Mom and baby giraffe (note the head poking out on the right side of the picture) - our guide said the baby was probably only a week old!

Because Elephant Bedroom is a small camp (with only 12 tents), they were able to provide a few unique experiences such as a bush breakfast and a sundowner in the reserve. 

 
Approaching the bush breakfast after our morning game drive.  Morning game drives usually start around 6:30 and end by 9, before it gets too hot and the wildlife hide from view (and the midday heat). 

Bush breakfast buffet.

Of course Maria made sure not to miss out on the bush breakfast. 
She took a slice of toast right off of my plate!

  While on safari, the middle of the day is spent relaxing, napping, and enjoying lunch, as most of the wildlife is hiding from the midday sun. Around 4pm it's time to go on the second game drive of the day.  Following one of the afternoon game drives, we were treated to a sundowner in the bush, which meant cocktails and hors doeuvres among  the animals!

The sundowner in the bush.

Enjoying a sundowner cocktail .

 After three days in the bush, it was time to head back to Nairobi and explore another part of the country.

View of Mount Kenya on the drive back to Nairobi.