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Experience the best of Malindi

Malindi is a seaside town on Kenya's north coast with long beaches, coral reefs, Swahili ruins nearby and a monument to Vasco da Gama.

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Malindi sits on the Indian Ocean in Kilifi County, at the edge of a wide bay. It is one of the oldest Swahili trading towns on the coast, and the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was received here in 1498. The Vasco da Gama Pillar, a stone column topped with a cross on a coral headland, recalls the visit, and a small Portuguese chapel dates from the 16th century.

Malindi Marine National Park protects coral gardens, where glass-bottomed boats show the fish. Watamu, to the south, has its own marine park and the Gedi ruins, the walls and houses of a Swahili town abandoned in the forest. The Arabuko-Sokoke Forest shelters rare birds and the golden-rumped elephant shrew. Inland, the red cliffs of the Marafa Depression, known as Hell's Kitchen, glow at sunset, and the Sabaki River mouth draws waders.

Swahili cooking mixes coconut, spices and fresh seafood: fish in coconut curry, spiced pilau rice, biryani, mandazi doughnuts and mahamri. The air is warm and humid year round, with the long rains from April to June, and the Italian community that settled here has added gelato and pizza to the menus.

  • Free cancellation on 78% of experiences
  • 4.5 across the top 2

Top experiences in Malindi

Day trips from Malindi

9

Guided tours in Malindi

30

Outdoor and adventure activities in Malindi

9

Nature and wildlife tours in Malindi

19

Desert and safari experiences in Malindi

13

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