Kenya’s Best Kept Secret: Lamu Archipelago

Many equate Kenya with the picturesque Masai Mara and its wild animals, but the tropical coast is lesser-known. I’ve travelled the country extensively and, to me, the exotic Lamu archipelago – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – typifies the ultimate “east” of East Africa.

 

A few years ago tourists had all but abandoned the area due to its proximity to troubled nearby Somalia. These days travellers, including pockets of international artists, are beginning to flow back to this place of remote beauty and palpable culture; founded in 1370, it is Kenya’s oldest continually inhabited community. There are no vehicles on the island, many donkeys roaming the narrow streets, and the feeling of stepping back in time is visceral.

 

 

All photos are copyright of Katie Nanton