Watamu, Kenya: travel guide
Small coastal town on Kenya's north coast, about 17 km south of Malindi, built around its own UNESCO-listed Watamu Marine National Park, Mida Creek's mangrove waterway, and the nearby Gede ruins. A distinct beach-resort base with its own established hotel stock (Hemingways Watamu, Ocean Sports Resort), not a suburb of Malindi.
- Country
- Kenya
- Currency
- KES
- Time zone
- Africa/Nairobi
Top places to visit in Watamu
Gede Ruins
ruins · about 2 h · check the fee at the gate
The atmospheric ruins of a 12th-century Swahili town swallowed by forest — palace, mosques and houses among giant baobabs.
Watamu Marine National Park
marine park · about 4 h · check the fee at the gate
Turquoise coves and coral gardens protected since 1968 — snorkelling, diving, dolphins and seasonal whale sharks.
Mida Creek
mangrove creek · about 2 h · check the fee at the gate
A tidal mangrove creek near Watamu with a boardwalk, birdlife and canoe trips — spectacular at sunset.
Things to do
- Watamu Marine Park Snorkelling Trip Water Sports · 3 h · from KES 4,000 per person
- Gede Ruins Guided Tour Walking Tour · 2 h · from KES 2,000 per person
- Mida Creek Sunset Canoe & Boardwalk Nature · 2.5 h · from KES 2,500 per person
- Watamu Deep-Sea Fishing Charter Fishing · 6 h · from KES 25,000 per person
Where to stay in Watamu
Hotels
- Hemingways Watamu 5-star · KES 25,000 to KES 45,000 per night
- Watamu Treehouse 4-star · KES 12,000 to KES 18,000 per night
- Ocean Sports Resort 3-star · KES 10,000 to KES 16,000 per night
Where to eat
- Ocean Sports Seafood, International · about KES 2,000 per person
- Crab Shack Dabaso Seafood, Swahili · about KES 1,200 per person
- Pili Pan Italian, Pizza · about KES 1,800 per person
Getting around
- Motorbike Rental main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Tuktuk main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking
Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.