Location
Mombasa is located in the south-eastern part of the country. It is the second largest city in Kenya with a population of half a million people. It has a major port and an international airport.

Views and Vistas
The dominating feature is the old town and harbour, at the entrance of which lies the imposing Fort Jesus built in 1598 by the Portuguese. Mombasa is a true melting pot of cultures. On its north and south mainland, you will find a selection of hotels and beach resorts.

Activities
Deep-sea fishing, snorkelling, scuba-diving, dolphin-watching 'dhow' trips and so much more will fill up your holiday whilst in Mombassa.


Mombasa and the North Coast
Choice of diving sites
We have diving sites along Kenya's barrier reef:

Dive times depend on high and low tides; two dive-trips possible in one day, also two-tank dives.

Most of the North Coast hotels have dive-centres or water-sport centres that offer diving.

Dive sites: Mombasa and North Coast
All dive sites will be reached within 10 to 25 minutes by boat. Marine park fees payable extra.

Barracuda Reef
10-25 metres depth. The reef is full of schools of snappers, mackerels and bat fish. It has a small drop off. If lucky, you will see turtles and big groupers.

Shark Point
10-28 metres depth. 95% chance of sharks. Barracudas and turtles also have been seen.

Sand place, Paradise and Ubongo
7-20 metres depth. Crocodile fish, lion fish, soldier fish and turtles. The perfect place for beginners.

Fish table and Horseshoe
9-22 metres depth. You will find lots of glassfish, sweet lips, emperor fish and triggerfish.

Coral garden
3-8-metres training dive-site for students. Perfect sand spots with lots of coral heads, glassfish, crocodile fish, lion fish and eels.

Vuma Caves
12-25 metres - you reach it via a special trip that takes 75 minutes by boat. Possible only when weather permits. You will encounter caves, big groupers and lots more.
For Experienced divers only.

MV Dania
This is a 18-35 metres wreck dive. The ship MV Diana was sunk on purpose as a tourist dive destination. The wreck is much safer as compared to old ships.

Mombasa Marine Parks and National Reserves

Views and Vistas
Mombassa is separated from the mainland by two creeks viz., Tudor Creek and Kilindini Harbour. The island is connected to the mainland to the north by the Nyali Bridge, to the south by the Likoni Ferry and to the west by the Makupa Causeway, alongside which runs the Uganda Railway. The port connects to the Indian Ocean and serves Kenya as well as countries of the interior.

There are several places worth a visit in and around Mombassa and these include the Watamu Marine Park in the North and the Kisite Marine Park in the south.

Most south and north coast resorts offer a variety of full and half-day excursions abroad traditional "Arab Dhows". These excursions normally include a snorkelling excursion to one of the marine parks.

Any one of these excursions can enrich your beach holiday.

Mombasa City Tour:
Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya. The city is situated in the south eastern part of Kenya and plays an important role in the import and export trade of the country.

The Mombasa port is the largest in East Africa. The city has one of the best white sand beaches and coral reefs that Africa has to offer tourists.

Views and Vistas
The half-day guided tour will include a visit to the old town with its narrow streets and colourful markets. You will also visit the old fort and the imposing Fort Jesus that was built by the Portuguese in the year 1593.
You will visit the Baobab where you can see the 200 year old trees. The cultural diversity of Mombasa will be on display when you visit a mosque and a Hindu temple.

Your tour will culminate with a visit to the Akaamba Carvers den - where hundreds of wood carvers transform logs into beautiful carvings.

The African Quest bush tour - a slice of life
The African Quest is a bush tour that allows you to take an intimate look at the daily life and routines of a typical 'Mdigo' - one of the Miji Kenda tribes of the Kenya Coast. They reside on the South Coast of Mombasa, and you will have to drive through the pineapple and coconut plantations to arrive at a local village.

Views and Vistas
You can take a short walk to a village school; watch a witchdoctor at work; partake in the whatever is happening in the village at the time of visit; see a coconut seller harvest his crop high up on the tree, and be entertained by local traditional dances. This is an enriching excursion to the hinterland that allows you to experience an entirely different kind of lifestyle and culture from up close.

A half-day visit to the Shimba Hills Reserve and Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary
The game reserve is famous for its concentration of the rare sable antelope; but, giraffes, elephants and buffalos also inhabit this reserve.

Views and Vistas
You will cross the Likoni ferry (if coming from the North Coast) and drive through the wooded Shimba hills right up to the Giriama Point. The park begins here and so does your game-drive.

You will also visit the community conservation project of Mwaluganje - an Elephant Sanctuary that is home to over 150 elephants. The surrounding landscapes are breathtaking and a visit to Shimba Hills adds value to your holiday, though by no means is it a complete safari experience.

Bamburi "Haller" Park and Mamba village - Testimony to reclamation efforts
Views and Vistas
Bamburi Nature Trail, recently re-named "Lafarge Eco Park" is one of the finest examples of successful land reclamation in Kenya's history.

At the helm of this since 1976, Dr Haller, has converted used quarries into a nature park that is home to hippos, zebras, oryx and many other birds and reptiles. The trip involves an afternoon walk through this park culminating at the Mamba Village - Africa's largest crocodile farm with over 11,000 crocodiles.

Fort Jesus Sound-and-Light Show
Views and Vistas
You begin with a romantic Dhow Sun downer Cruise along the shores of the picturesque island of Mombassa.

This is the beginning of an enchanting evening that must not to be missed.

As darkness sets in, we dock at our private jetty and proceed to Fort Jesus.

In the distance, you see "Arab and Portuguese" men bearing fire-torches, guarding the entrance to the 16th century Portuguese Fort.

A Sound-and-Light presentation takes you through the turbulent history of the East African coast. The 'candelabra lit setting' creates the atmosphere for a unique dinner served within the fortress by waiters in Portuguese attire.

Tamarind Evening Cruise
Views and Vistas
The Tamarind Evening Cruise is a pleasant sail along the Tudor Creek of Mombasa's north coast on an old Arab dhow.

This is a sundown cruise offering you magnificent views of the old town of Mombassa and its quaint harbour.
The Tamarind Restaurant, which is by far East Africa's best seafood outlet, caters onboard the dhow. You can gorge yourselves with sumptuous lobster, prawn and other seafood dishes. A live band playing both African and contemporary music adds to the ambience of the whole evening.

The dhow departs every evening at 18.30 hours and returns at 22.30 hours.

Day trip to Malindi and Gedi ruins
Views and Vistas
The trip begins with a drive up north along the Kenyan coastline. You will pass by sisal and pineapple plantations of Vipingo and Kilifi, before you arrive at the small town of Gede-Watamu.

Gede is one of the 12th century Swahili towns along the East African Coast that retains memories of an evolved urban culture influenced by numerous waves of migration and oceanic trade.

After you complete your visit to this extensive open-air museum the journey will continue to Malindi.
At the Malindi Marine Park, you will board a glass - bottom boat that that takes us to the Coral Gardens. Here you can view the unique rose-coral, only to be found here.

Lunch will be at a selected restaurant. In the afternoon, you will visit a snake park and the local market. The trip also includes a stop at a traditional Giriama village to see their typical dances. You return to Mombasa by evening.

Ngomongo villages
Views and Vistas
Ngomongo Villages is a theme park that showcases the ways of life of the rural peoples of Kenya, It was created by a keen environmentalist, Dr. F. Gikandi in 1991. Located on the North Coast suburb of Shanzu, this former quarry and barren rock is today a Garden of Eden, with indigenous and protected species of plants and trees. It is a unique presentation of the ten most colourful and diverse peoples:

What is extraordinary is that during your two-hour walk through these villages, you will experience 'authentic' lifestyles of these tribes. These are tribes a "regular" tourist would seldom encounter. Your half-day trip to Ngomongo Villages can be combined with a city tour or be taken independently on a given morning or afternoon. Enhance your trip to Kenya, by learning a little more about our wonderful and unique tribes!

Bombolulu Cultural Workshops
The Bombolulu Workshops are a project of the Association for the Physically Disabled in Kenya (APDK). Located in Mombasa for nearly 35 years, Bombolulu's four sheltered workshops and their artisans have clearly demonstrated the ability to combat poverty through the creation and trade of handicrafts.

At its peak, the workshops employed over 260 salaried artisans, but in the 1990s a combination of natural and man-made disasters severely affected the viability of the project, and the workforce had to be reduced to its current level of 150 artisans. A visit to the Bombolulu Workshops and Cultural Centre located on the North Coast of Mombasa, offers you an opportunity to enjoy and learn about traditional Kenyan cultures. Kenya has a rich tribal tradition and we have accurately reconstructed eight different authentic homesteads for you to explore and experience. Our guides will explain in detail the background to these homesteads. You will learn of the location of the tribes, the names, the traditions, the food they eat, the music they play and the clothes they wear among other things.

Activities and Experiences
With advance intimation, we can arrange for a variety of activities for you to participate in. These could include:

We can arrange these activities for you with a minimum of a single day's notice.

Fashion shows
Bombolulu is famous in Kenya for its wonderful fashion designs and spectacular fashion shows. The tailoring workshop creates stunning designs for men and women that represent the best in fashion design from all over the African continent. The workshop also creates clothes for the Indian community in Kenya. These include Punjabi suits, casual wear and household items.

Fashion shows are performed regularly on the North Coast and South Coast.

All the designs and fashion garments on display can quickly be made to your size by our hardworking tailoring team!