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A carved stone archway among the coral-stone walls of the Gede Ruins, shaded by forest trees

Things to see

Things to see in Kilifi County

Coral reefs and marine parks, mangrove creeks, a rare coastal forest, the ruins of Swahili towns, Vasco da Gama’s pillar and a red sandstone canyon. Here are the places worth your time on Kenya’s north coast.

Watamu and around

Watamu is a small resort village of white beaches and coral islets, with a marine park offshore, the mangroves of Mida Creek on one side and the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and the Gede Ruins just inland.

Coral islets off Watamu beach at low tide, beside a beach building painted with fish Marine park

Watamu Marine National Park

Coral gardens and turtles

A protected stretch of reef, lagoon and coral islets off Watamu, with coral gardens for snorkelling, glass-bottom boats and sea turtles, run by Kenya Wildlife Service.

A dugout canoe on the brown water of a mangrove channel at Mida Creek Mangroves

Mida Creek

Birds, mangroves and sunsets

A wide tidal inlet behind Watamu, fringed with mangrove forest, where wading birds feed on the sandbanks at low tide and dhows sail at sunset.

The green canopy of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest stretching to the horizon, seen from a viewpoint Forest

Arabuko-Sokoke Forest

Rare birds and elephant shrews

The largest surviving block of coastal forest in East Africa, home to rare birds, elephant shrews and forest elephants, with trails and a visitor centre near Gede.

The coral-stone walls of the Great Mosque at the Gede Ruins, surrounded by forest Ruins

Gede Ruins

A lost Swahili town

The ruins of a walled Swahili town in the forest near Watamu, with a palace, mosques, houses and pillar tombs, abandoned in the early 17th century.

Malindi and the north

Malindi is the county’s biggest resort town, with a long beach, a marine park and a Portuguese past. Inland, the Marafa canyon is a dramatic sunset trip.

Two people cycling along the wide white beach at Malindi, with turquoise sea behind Town

Malindi

Beaches and Swahili history

A historic Swahili town and beach resort, where Vasco da Gama landed in 1498, with a long beach, a marine park, an old town and a lively mix of cultures.

Boats moored off the white beach at Malindi Marine National Park Marine park

Malindi Marine National Park

Reefs south of town

One of the first marine parks in Africa, just south of Malindi, with coral reefs, sea-grass beds and lagoons explored by glass-bottom boat and snorkel.

The white coral Vasco da Gama Pillar, topped with a cross, on a headland above the sea at Malindi Monument

Vasco da Gama Pillar

A marker from 1498

A coral pillar topped with a cross on a headland in Malindi, put up by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in 1498, one of the oldest European monuments in Africa.

Red and orange sandstone cliffs and pinnacles in the Marafa canyon, known as Hell’s Kitchen Canyon

Marafa Hell’s Kitchen

A red sandstone gorge

A maze of eroded sandstone gullies and pinnacles in red, orange and cream, about an hour inland from Malindi, best seen at sunset with a local guide.

Kilifi and the south

Kilifi town sits on a beautiful creek, with quiet beaches to the north and Swahili ruins on its banks. Further south, towards Mombasa, the coast at Vipingo and Mtwapa has more ruins and resorts.

The Kilifi Bridge spanning the wide blue water of Kilifi Creek, seen from a grassy slope Creek

Kilifi Creek

Sailing, swimming and sunsets

A deep, sheltered creek at Kilifi town, crossed by the Kilifi Bridge, with sailing, kayaking, dhow trips and lovely sunsets from the waterside bars.

The coral-stone ruins and pillar of the Mnarani site among trees above Kilifi Creek Ruins

Mnarani Ruins

Mosques above the creek

The ruins of a Swahili settlement on the south bank of Kilifi Creek, with mosques and a pillar tomb, looked after by the National Museums of Kenya.

A long white beach and turquoise sea at Bofa, north of Kilifi Beach

Bofa Beach

Kilifi’s quiet beach

A long, quiet beach of white sand just north of Kilifi town, with a few small hotels and guesthouses and good swimming at high tide.

The ruins of a mosque at Jumba la Mtwana, among trees beside the beach Ruins

Jumba la Mtwana

A Swahili town by the sea

The ruins of a 14th-century Swahili town right by the beach north of Mtwapa, with mosques, houses and tombs among baobab trees.

Planning your route

Kilifi County stretches along the coast road between Mombasa and Malindi. Most of the highlights cluster around Watamu and Malindi in the north, with Kilifi town halfway down.

Around Watamu

  1. Snorkel in Watamu Marine National Park at low tide.
  2. Walk the streets of the Gede Ruins and look for rare birds in the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest.
  3. End the day with a dhow cruise on Mida Creek.

Malindi and Marafa

See the Vasco da Gama Pillar and the old town of Malindi, then drive inland for sunset at Marafa Hell’s Kitchen.

Kilifi

Kilifi Creek, the Mnarani Ruins and Bofa Beach make a relaxed stop between Mombasa and Watamu.

Good to know

Plan boat trips around the tides and visit ruins and forests early or late in the day, when it is cooler. Read our three-day itinerary.

Plan your coast trip

Coral reefs, mangroves and Swahili ruins

Snorkel the coral gardens of Watamu, sail Mida Creek at sunset, walk through the ruined Swahili town of Gede or watch the sun go down over the Marafa canyon. Compare tours and book in a couple of taps.

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