Lamu Island in Kenya
Lamu Island
Lamu town The island of Lamu situated on the north coast of Kenya has a population of about 12,000 people almost half of whom are Bajuni immigrants from the north. The vast majority of the population are Muslim, and visitors should respect this during their stay. Aid from Saudi Arabia has been directed to the island in the form of a hospital, various schools and religious centres. The old stone town has distinctive architecture, with carved doors and narrow streets, no vehicles, many mosques, and everywhere women dressed in black and wearing the bui bui. Tourism is the major source of income but Lamu is still not crowded, there is very little hassle and there is none of the commercial atmosphere that Zanzibar suffers from. Wandering through the narrow streets dodging donkeys, or watching the fishermen from the dock, it is very easy to adapt to the pace of life that makes this island so attractive.
The Beach
The southern shore of Lamu island has the best beach – 12 kilometres of almost deserted white sand which back onto the sand dunes. As there is no reef the waves are quite big. To get there you have to walk through the southern part of the town towards Shela which takes about 45 minutes to the beach. Do not try to walk this route in the dark for safety reasons. Dhows and motor boats go regularly to Shela for the less active. The beach at Shela stretches into the distance and is seldom crowded. There is shade from the dunes which back away into the centre of the island.
Attractions in Stone Town
The old town is known to the local people as Mkomani. It is the largest stone town on the East African coast, but easy to walk around. The town dates back to the 14th century although most of the buildings are actually from the 18th century which was Lamu’s Golden Age. The streets are very narrow, and the buildings on each side are two or three stories high. The main street, Usita wa Mui, runs parallel to the harbour and used to open out to the sea, but building form the mid 1800s onwards has cut it off from the quayside. A maze of small streets run off from this main thoroughfare and all the streets leading into town from the shore slope uphill slightly. Carved doors are one of the attractions for which Lamu is famous. The artesanal skill continues to be taught, and at the north end of the harbour you can see them being made in workshops by craftsmen and apprentices.
Lamu Fort
Lamu fort The construction of the Fort was begun in 1809 and completed in 1821. The tile awning over the verandah at the front was originally of makuti thatch. Inside internal walkways and awnings surround a central courtyard. The construction is of coral blocks, covered with mortar round the battlements. The Fort initially faced over the quayside, but there are now buildings between it and the sea. In the past it has served as both a fort and prison. Now it contains an exhibition on the environment, a shop and a library, plus a café overlooking the busy square at the entrance. Wedding parties take place inside the fort and women only are allowed to attend the celebration.
Mosques
There are over 20 mosques on the island, but they are usually not very grand affairs and you may not even be able to tell what they are as some are little different from other buildings. You will need to seek permission before entering to look around. The oldest mosque in Lamu is believed to be the Pwani Mosque, situated near the Fort which dates back to 1370. The Jumaa (or Friday) Mosque is at the north end of town and is the second oldest in Lamu, dating from 1511. Then comes the M’na Lalo Mosque(1753), more or less in the centre of town, just a little to the north of the Museum and set back form Harambee Ave. This mosque was built in Lamu’s Golden Age, and Muru Mosque (1821) followed it on Harambee Ave, Utukuni Mosque (1823) well into the interior part of the town, Mpya Mosque (1845) in the town centre; Mwana Mshamu Mosque (1855) in the town centre; and the of the town; Sheikh Mohamed bin Ali Mosque (1875), in the town centre and the N’nayaye Mosque (1880), on the northwest fringe of town. Two mosques have been built in 20th century, the Riyadha mosque (1901) to the south of the town, and the Bohora Mosque (1920), fairly central just inland of Harambee Ave. The Mwenye Alawi mosque (1850 at the north end of main Street was originally for women, but has since been taken over by the men. Adjacent to the Riyadha Mosque is the Muslim Academy, funded by Saudi Arabia, and which attracts students from all over the world.
Lamu Museum
The museum houses a library and is located on Kenyatta Road. It is run by the National Museum of Kenya, and plays an important role in the conservation of old Lamu. The entrance has some photographs of Lamu taken by French Photographer, Guillain in the period 1846-9. In a lobby to the right is a Swahili kitchen with pestles and mortars and vermicelli presses. Also on the ground floor are examples of decorative 18th century Kidaka plasterwork, carved Lamu throne chairs with wicker seats, and elaborately carved Lamu headboards. Upstairs are collections of weapons and costumes from the 18th century.
Swahili House Museum
This is a traditional Swahili house, restored, with all the traditional furniture. The museum is open daily, 1800-1800, with a small entrance fee.
House of Liwali Sud bin Hamad
This is a fine example of Swahili architecture. A Liwali was a governor appointed by the Sultan of Zanzibar. The house has now been subdivided, but it is still possible to appreciate how it looked when it was a single dwelling. At the northern end of the town, on the waterfront are wood-carving workshops and the proprietors will happily show you around. Further on you can see boats being built and repaired at the Dhow Boatyard.
Donkey Sanctuary
This is located in the northern part of the town close to the waterfront. It is run by the International Donkey Protection Trust, based in the UK. There is a small enclosure where sick donkeys are cared for. The remainder of the donkeys roam the town at will and are a striking feature of the island.
Excursions
There are plenty of willing dhow owners most of whom are called ‘Captain’ who organise one-day dhow fishing excursions in the Manda Channel. Snorkeling excursions depend on the times of the tide. The best place is Manda Toto, which is a two to three-hour dhow trip away. Manda island is not a good snorkelling spot.
Matondoni Village
Here, on the western side of the island, about eight kilometres from town, dhows are built and repaired. The easiest way to get there is to hire a dhow between a group and negotiate the price.
Shela
This village is another of the old stone towns and is located to the south of Lamu Town. It has the closest beach to Stone Town, being a 40 minute walk away. In the town are a number of old buildings, including the Mosque which is situated behind Peponi’s. The people of Shela were originally form the island of Manda and speak a dialect of Swahili that is quite different to that spoken in Lamu. The Friday Mosque was built in 1829 and has a conical minaret.
Dodori and Boni National Reserves
These are in the far north of the Kenya coast close to the Somali border. Because of the recent troubles in Somalia parts of this area have been out of bounds to tourists for a while. If you want to go up here be sure to check with the local authorities and tour agencies.
Kiunga Marine National Reserve
Located in the far northern part of the Kenya coast, adjoining the Somalia border, this Marine Park suffers from being rather remote, which is a shame since it is meant to have some of the best coral reef on the East Coast. It is possible to arrange a trip there through Peponi’s at Shela.
Manda Island
This is the island which is located just to the north of Lamu and has the airstrip on it. It is a popular day trip to see the ruins at Takwa. The island is approximately the size of Lamu but has only a small permanent population due to a shortage of fresh water and of cultivatable land. About the fifth of the island is made up of sand dunes and sandy flat land with just thorn bushes and palms. Another three fifths of the island is mangrove swamps and muddy creeks. The creek that Takwa is located on almost cuts the island in half during high tide. The main port is Ras Kilimdini which is located on the northern side of the island. In the 19th century this deep-water harbour was considered to be superior to Lamu and was used by ocean-going vessels who could then take dhows across to Lamu.
The Takwa Ruins are those of an ancient Swahili town which is believed to have prospered from the 15th to the 17th centuries, with a population of between 2,000-3,000 people. The ruins consist of the remains of a wall which surrounded the town, about 100 houses, a mosque and a tomb dated from 1683. As with many of other sites on the coast, the remains include ablution facilities. The houses face north toward mecca as does the main street. There is a mosque at the end of the street which is thought to have been built on the site of an old tomb. The other feature of the ruins is the pillar tomb. It is situated just outside the town walls. The ruins have been cleared but little excavation has been done.
Pate Island
About three times the size of Lamu and located about 20 kilometres to the northeast. The island is divided into two parts by a shallow channel. The land is very low lying and the towns are situated on shallow inlets which can only be reached at high tide. The only deep water landing point is at Ras Mtangawanda in the west of the island, but as it is not sheltered harbour it has never had a major settlement.
Pate town
The town of Pate is only accessible from the sea at the right tide - otherwise you will have to walk from the landing place. It is situated in the southwest corner of the island and is the one of the old Swahili towns that dots the coast. The town shows strong Arabic and Indian influence, and was once most famous for the silk that was produced here. The old stone houses are crumbling and tobacco has been planted amongst the ruins. The main ruins are those of Nabahani which are found just outside the town. Although they have not yet been excavated you should be able to make out the town walls, houses, mosques and tombs. The earliest remains that have been found are from the 13th century but according to some accounts the town dates back to the eighth century. The town was reasonably prosperous for up to 1600, although by the time the Portuguese first arrived it had begun to decline. The Portuguese had withdrawn to Mombasa by the 17th century. The final decline of Pate was the war with Lamu. There had been an ongoing dispute between the two islands. Over the years the port at Pate silted up, Lamu was used instead by the bigger dhows, and the tension increased. The situation reached a climax in 1813 when the army from Pate was defeated at Shela and the town went into a decline from which it has never recovered.
Getting There
To get to Pate from Lamu, you have to take the motor launch to Faza or to Mtangawanda and walk from there. To Faza the boat goes 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and takes about four hours. To Mtangawanda the walk will take you about about an hour. To get back to Lamu the boat leaves Faza on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It does not always call at Mtangawanda so you may have to walk to Faza via Siyu and catch it from there.
Siyu
A stone -built town dating from about the 15th century. It became a famous centre for Islamic scholarship and is believed to have been an important cultural centre during the 17th and 18th centuries. At one time is said to have had 30,000 inhabitants. Today there are probably fewer than 5,000 people living in the town and the inhabited part of the town is slightly apart from the ancient ruined area. A creek separates the residential part of the town from the Fort, which is believed to date from the mid-19th century when the town was occupied by forces of the Sultan of Zanzibar. The Fort has some impressive canons and has been partly renovated. The town itself is fairly dilapidated but has a thriving crafts industry- you will be able to see leather goods being made as well as doors, furniture and jewellery.
About one hour’s walk from Siyu there are the Shanga Ruins. There have been excavations in recent years and they show signs of unearthing impressive remains. There are buildings from the 13th and 14th century and many artifacts have been found dating back to the eighth and ninth centuries. There is a pillar tomb, a large mosque, a smaller second mosque, and about 130 houses. The whole town was walled with five access gates and outside the wall is the cemetery containing well over 300 tombs. The channel is so silted up that only the smallest boats can reach Siyu. It is therefore necessary to approach the town by foot- either from Shanga (about an hour), from Faza (about two hours), or from Pate. About a two - hour walk to the northeast of Siyu is the town of Chundwa which is situated in the most fertile part of the island.
Getting There By Air
There are flights to the airstrip on Manda Island from where you get a boat taxi or a dhow across. The air charter companies serving this route are Eagle Aviation, T21258 (Malindi), 316054 (Mombasa), 3119 (Lamu); Equator Airlines, T2053(Malindi); Prestige Air Services, T20860/1 (Malindi), 21443 (Mombasa); Skyways Airlines, T21260 (Malindi) 432167 (Mombasa), 3226 (Lamu). Tai Aviation offer cheap flights on 6 seater planes, 30 minute fight to Malindi, book through Lamu Archipelago Tours. Prestige and Equator both have offices on Lamu close to the Standard Chartered Bank. All the companies have 2 flights per day in both directions between Malindi and Mombasa and Malindi and Lamu. Baggage allowance is only 10 kilograms, and check in time is 30 minutes before take off. There is no Airport tax when you leave Lamu (although there is from Malindi).
By Road
Buses to Lamu go fairly regularly but the route is popular so book in advance. The trip takes about 5 to 6 hours from Malindi and offers the opportunity to witness some of the most dangerous driving in Kenya, which is saying something. They leave in the morning between 0700 and 0800 and race each other most of the way. You might also be able to take one of the buses from Mombasa that stop off at Malindi on the way. If you are travelling from Mombasa, TSS Bus (in Mombasa on Digo Rd, P O Box 850351, T224541/222201; in Lamu on Main St, P O Box 3, T33059/33083). The cost is about US$8, but seats are reserved. The trip takes almost all the day, arriving about 1700 at Lamu. There is tarmac to Malindi, a rough track to Garsen then a further 20 kilometres of tarmac after which there is a good graded coral and send section to Makowe. With the current problems with bandits from Somalia, a convoy forms at Garsen and an armed escort joins the bus to where you get a ferry, which takes about 40 minutes, across to Lamu island.
Banks
Standard Chartered, located on the harbour front, is only open in the mornings 0830 to 1300 on week days, and 0830 to 1100 on Sat. It gets crowded and speed is not a priority.
Post Office
The post office is located just to the south of the jetty. Opening hours are Mon-Frid 0800-1230 and 1400-1700; Sat 0900-1200. There is a poste restante service.
Hospital and Medical Services
The hospital is located in the southern end of the town and inland from the Fort, P O Box 45, and T3012.
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