Lamu
Kenya
The oldest Swahili town still lived in, where the traffic is donkeys and the taxis are boats
Photo by Stanislav Lvovsky on Unsplash
Photos by Stanislav Lvovsky, Stanislav Lvovsky, Tourite Safaris and Stanislav Lvovsky on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Kenya
December to March, August to October
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 300mm in May
Where it is
2.27°S, 40.90°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Get lost in the old town alleys, which UNESCO lists as the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa
- Take a dhow at sunset from the town jetty, and agree the price and the length before you board
- Walk the shore path to Shela and climb the dunes behind the beach
- Sail to the Takwa ruins on Manda Island at high tide, through the mangroves
- Climb to the roof of the fort for the view over the town and the harbour
- Keep to Lamu and Manda Islands, which are the only parts of the county outside the UK advice against travel
Lamu travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Kenya
Mid-rangeBring shillings from Nairobi or Mombasa, or clean, recent dollars to change; there is little choice on the island and rates are worse. The guesthouses and the better hotels take cards and M-Pesa; the boatmen, the donkey men and the market are cash or M-Pesa.
ATMs & cards
There are only a few machines, in Lamu town near the waterfront; do not count on one in Shela. They run low before weekends and festivals, so arrive with enough cash for the stay and treat them as a backup.
Avoid these
- relying on the island’s few machines, which run low before weekends and festivals
- expecting a machine in Shela
Use these instead
- the bank machines in Lamu town
- Equity, KCB or Standard Chartered in Nairobi or Mombasa before you fly
Arrive with cash for the stay. Boat fares, dhow trips and tips are cash or M-Pesa.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Kenya
Reasonably safeThe UK FCDO advises against all travel to Lamu County except Lamu Island and Manda Island, because of Al-Shabaab attacks on the mainland near the Somali border. It says to reach the islands by air into Manda and not by road, and to be particularly vigilant there because the mainland is close. That rules out the bus from Mombasa and day trips to Pate, Kiwayu or the mainland that older itineraries include, and travelling against the advice can invalidate travel insurance. On the islands the life is calm and street crime against visitors is low. Dress modestly in town — shoulders and knees covered — and swim only where the locals do at Shela, which has currents and no lifeguards.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- Anywhere in Lamu County beyond Lamu and Manda Islands — the mainland, Pate and Kiwayu — which the UK FCDO advises against all travel to
- Arriving by road from Mombasa or Malindi, which the UK FCDO says not to do; fly into Manda
- Beach boys selling dhow trips and guiding in the old town — agree the price, the route and the length first
- Shela beach — currents with the tide, and no lifeguards
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Kenya visa rules
Travel authorisation requiredup to 90 days$30 plus processing
Kenya replaced its visa with an Electronic Travel Authorisation that every visitor needs, including nationalities that were previously visa-free. Apply at least three days ahead.
Other passports
Travel authorisation requiredup to 90 days$30 plus processing
The ETA applies to nearly every nationality.
How to get it: Apply at etakenya.go.ke with a passport scan, a photo, and your accommodation and return flight details. Only that domain is official.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Before you fly: travel authorisation
Kenya eTARequired
At least 72 hours before you fly.
Have these in front of you before you start:
- passport
- a passport photo
- flight number
- the full address of your first night
- your onward or return flight date
Use the official link above. Sites that charge a "service fee" to submit one of these for you are not the government, and they want the same passport details the real form does.
Travel tipsHealth & emergencies all of Kenya
LimitedRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a country where yellow fever is present — including via a long layover in one
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
- Malaria prophylaxis — the Mara is a malaria area, though Nairobi itself is not
- Rabies for longer stays
- Cholera for extended rural stays
Getting treated
Nairobi has the best hospitals in East Africa and they are genuinely good. In the Mara you are hours from any of them by road, so camps rely on the AMREF Flying Doctors air ambulance — check whether your camp holds cover, and whether your insurance does.
Malaria prophylaxis is strongly advised for the Mara. Do not drink the tap water. Altitude in Nairobi (1,795m) is mild but noticeable on the first day.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodSwahili coast food: fish and prawns in coconut and tamarind, biryani and pilau, samosas, and mahamri with chai for breakfast. Eat on the waterfront in town for the price and in Shela for the setting. Lamu is a conservative Muslim town, so alcohol is mostly at the hotels, and during Ramadan many cafés close by day.
Travel tipsGetting around
Limited- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- LittleWorks here
- inDriveWorks here
Little the Kenyan one
A boda-boda motorbike is faster and cheaper and is also how most road injuries here happen.
Time zone and your working day
Africa/Nairobi — 7 hours ahead of you
1 hour of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–10:00 your time, 16:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 02:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 02:00–10:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Kenya, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolut No local plan
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Swahili
- HelloHabariha-BA-ree
- PleaseTafadhalita-fa-DHA-lee
- Thank youAsantea-SAN-teh
- Yes / NoNdiyo / Hapanan-DEE-yo / ha-PA-na
4 more phrases
- Excuse meSamahanisa-ma-HA-nee
- How much is it?Bei gani?bay GA-nee
- The bill, pleaseBili tafadhaliBEE-lee
- No problemHakuna matataha-KOO-na ma-TA-ta
Jambo is the tourist greeting; habari is what locals actually say to each other. Using it changes how you are received.
Travel tipsReligion
Christian majority
Around 85% Christian with a Muslim minority concentrated on the coast, and traditional belief practised alongside. Sunday services are long and central.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Greet before anything else, and shake hands — asking a question without greeting first is rude
- Use the right hand for giving and receiving
- Ask, and expect to pay, before photographing Maasai people or their homes
- Learn jambo and asante; a little Swahili is warmly received
Don't
- Do not photograph government buildings, police or military installations
- Do not display cash or expensive equipment in Nairobi streets
- Do not haggle aggressively at a Maasai market — the margins are the community income
- Do not leave the vehicle on safari unless the guide says it is safe
Where to stay in Lamu
No Holistay rentals in Lamu yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Lamu on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Manda, Lamu LAU
15 minfrom the airport, roughly
A short boat ride across the channel to the Lamu town waterfront.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
