Attractions in Lamu County
25. Lamu Donkey Sanctuary
Owing to its remoteness, no roads and oddly narrowed streets, Lamu Town has sustained the old-age tradition of donkeys as the main mode of transport. The oceanfront is thronged by dozens of donkeys and their porters, which for first-time visitor to Lamu Island is quite outré if not preposterous. Since 1987, Lamu Donkey Sanctuary has been a free-of-charge donkeys-only pit-stop which caters as keen as mustard to 3,000 (+) donkeys on the island. Modernization can look disruptive to this tradition, as anthropologists would explain, and there seems to be much going against the donkey tradition, yet, the traditional donkey life on Lamu Island is still surprisingly full of life. It is not where it used to be, but outsider’s concern that the traditional ‘donkey ways’ of Lamu Island are almost extinct is not justified. At the moment, it is likely to prove more resilient than its detractors fear. The shortcomings, and they are considerable, will spring up later. In fact, more recently, Lamu moderated use of motorcycles on the Island.
26. Floating Bar and Restaurant, Lamu
This is situated almost equidistant between Lamu and Shela along the Manda-Lamu Chanel. It’s the latest addition to Lamu’s eateries, and here you can enjoy a good old sun-downer drink or sea-foods with the wind in your hair and the pretty ocean around you. The concept and construction is pretty simple yet the experience in anything but simple. “The Floating Pub and Restaurant in Lamu Island is one of the few spots where tourists can drink because in the old town, there is no clubbing or having wild parties” – Kalume Kazungu. That said, their biggest trump card is finely prepared seafood cuisines specializing in pan-fried prawns, calamari, octopus and jumbo prawns, as well as in continental dishes like pizzas, salads and spaghetti. To jazz-up the quiet nights they host a variety of musical and entertainment talents from Lamu and beyond. It is open daily between 10 am to about 11 pm, and easily reached via the hop-on hop-off boats.
27. Shela Village
3 kms south of Lamu brings you to one of the awesome experiences of Kenya’s Coast, at Shela. “Diani is said to be Kenya’s finest beach, and for those who have not seen Shela and Kiwayu this is probably true”. Shela’s sandy bench that rises about 25 ms at the estuary of Lamu Bay is as salubrious as any paradisal beach. It’s marked by large sand dunes formed by the north-east monsoon that blows between November and February. Shela Village, now occupied by a population of about six hundred, offers an unparalleled experience as you live side by side with locals in hotels intermingled with village houses. Every passing moment at Shela offers a new experience of living through the events of the day, accented by quiet early mornings infused with tropical melodies as birds and insects give wake to a new day with the obligatory morning greetings shared over walls and sometimes across houses, then by morning and evening calls to prayer to bring music and light gossip into the balmy night. “Lamu and Shela come to life very early in the morning, succumbs to the Swahili equivalent of siesta – when even the avaricious and multitudinous shopkeepers close their portals – and revives again after evening prayers”. A few days stay at Shela is a tonic in relaxed living.
Shela is probably over 500 years old and reached its zenith in the middle of the last century. Impressively, the street facades are uniform and, except for entry doors openings, opaque. Many front doors are endowed with embellishment as to make them unique components and to restore the identity of the house in the setting of the standardized facades. The plan of the Swahili stone house gives maximum length to communication lines between rooms; a similar quality is achieved in the streets by staggering the front doors on plan; both devices are brought about by considerations of privacy. Most existing houses in Shela are at-least double storeyed, sometimes with additional floors and penthouses but keeping to the same style of build. Here too, most of the houses are enliven with porch madaka, door carvings, Kuranic inscriptions and geometric patterns. In a captivating twist, almost all houses at Shela face south, offering two disparate experiences at sunrise and sunset. There are plenty of hotels and villas catering to various types of guests and needs. These include Moon Houses (Full Moon, Kiwandani, Mama Daktari, Betty’s Suite, Garden House, New Moon, Fisherman and Shela Sea Suq) which are privately owned villas built in pukka Swahili style.
The relaxation at the open, roofed penthouses found in most houses in Shela caps the peace with which Lamu is filled. They offer a pleasurable vista in fairy tale surrounding that consumes visitors for hours on, especially where lounge chairs, swinging bed or a hammock are provided, proving a difficult setting to pull away from. The factor of time seems trivial and unimportant. Altogether it is a scene of entrancing beauty. It peers out to clusters of graceful palm bristles, swaying in the balmy breeze off the shore, and a profusion of tropical plants. The air is laden with the aroma of exotic flowers. Bougainvillea and hibiscus, of which on the island there are several varieties, fill the gardens. The incredible blue ocean surrounding Shela village stretches away to the horizon on one end and across the channel to Manda on the other. In the morning hours, with the surge out, local anglers sail gracefully on daus and varying outrigger canoes. In the circumstances of modern life, with its acceleration of pace, the zen at the penthouse is admittedly of transcendental importance to healing the soul. Anyone who has been to Shela will openly admit that this simple encounter is shrined in memory as a prized retreat to which the mind returns to find peace.
28. Bahari Restaurant & Guesthouse
If you’re looking to grab a meal while enjoying views of Shela Jetty and Manda, a short walk from the beach, there are one or two nice places that combine the two. Fresh fish and catch of the day headlines the menu at Bahari Restaurant, a family-owned and operated oceanside eatery with memorable views. It is not all rare to see anglers coming in to Bahari with baskets filled with fresh catch. For generations it has retained its island charm of a rustic decor, serving excellent fare with simplicity and impeccable service from a very friendly staff and host. Open all day long including dinner, the restaurant’s patio setting come sunset frames the sun-kissed island with a magic glow. This is where you will want to indulge in all your fried fish fantasies, but if you prefer, they also offer grilled options simply seasoned with butter, a house herb blend, or garlic as well as continental dishes. Once there, you will be treated to the very best that Lamu Island can offer, with quality mains starting at Kes. 1,000 (USD 10). Don’t leave without trying their lobster, crab, king fish, prawns and calamari. To wash it down with local beer from the fridge you can walk to the nearby Pepeni Hotel, whose restaurant has been much-vaunted for many years, or sail to the Floating Restaurant. The Guesthouse at Bahari is a great place to stay right by the water especially on their top floor with a breathtaking view and great wind to relax in.
Abiri Kenya 