Watamu beach
Watamu beach is located around Kenya’s oldest city around 105 km north Mombasa and 15 km south of Malindi.Watamu Beach consists of crystal-clear waters making it an excellent location for snorkelling and diving with the surrounding area which is a home to an abundance of wildlife. This is aa charming beach located along Kenya’s coastline and well known for its pristine white sand. The beach is part of the Watamu national marine park making it a great spot for scuba diving and snorkeling, and the coral reefs are home to all types of colorful underwater life which also helps create breaks for surfers while on Kenya safari tours. Watamu beach is surrounded by a number of excellent hotels and restaurants which are just steps from the sand allowing tourists to spend the day or an overnight trip enjoying the environment
The beach is a popular gateway post for travelers to unwind which is recommended to those who want to know every beautiful place Kenya has, and also to beach holiday tourists in order for them to enjoy the Watamu’s cool ocean breeze and gentle waves making it Watamu’s focal point of Kenya’s adventure.
Activities around Watamu beach
A safari to Watamu beach is a perfect holiday which gives you an enjoyable and best experience of the beach when you choose to spend a day there with a taste of the sea foods from the restaurants. Below are some of the activities at the Watamu beach.
Swimming with dolphins
Watamu beach is a perfect place to indulge in swimming with dolphins activity just like how it is done in the movies, and the tribe water sports also do dolphin tours for tourists who wish to watch or swim with the dolphins with given instructions on how and when to do the activity making it an all-round experience. The watersport is accessible for anyone whether you just starting out or want to explore.
Visit the local ocean trust
This a non-profit private organization committed to the conservation and protection of special marine areas and endangered species. There is a conservation-focused trust in Watamu that is interested in the protection of special marine areas and species that are endangered most especially marine turtles, and a visit to the trust gives you a peek into the work they do on anti-poaching patrols. It is the only marine turtle rehabilitation facility in east Africa.
Bio ken snake farm
For the reptile lovers, this is a feel at home place with a perfect experience in the reptile research center which is a home to the largest collection of snakes in the east African region where you will explore the farm to learn about these reptiles and their behaviors through a guided tour by the highly skilled snake farm experts and also offer snake bites and anti-venom services.
Relax on Watamu beach
Watamu beach is a natural paradise that keeps on giving, and unpolluted and pristine, having a reputation for its lavish beach resorts with clear waters and turquoise and beautiful. Watamu beach has plenty of beach bars and restaurants to enjoy nice Swahili delicacies and some palm wine. The beach will give you beautiful weather while sitting or lying under the palm trees sipping a drink.
Mida Creek sunset cruise
The Mida creek is a broad wide water creek surrounded by mangroves and palm trees, stretching from the ocean into the Arabuko Sokoke forest. The area is best explored area by boat however you can also paddleboard through it, making it the perfect way to blow your mind through the creek at sunset, with your sundowner drink at hand, painting the water golden and a sky filled with birds making a romantic evening at the beach.
Deep sea fishing
Deep fishing is an interesting activity that Watamu hosts tournaments that include hosting the world in ILLTA world championships with fully equipped charter boats to these activities with professionals giving guidance and directions. High concentrations of bait are easily located predator fish on mountainous oceanic terrain having colluded to make Watamu a hotspot for deep sea fishing and a common spot for anglers.
Scuba diving
The beach is a dream haven for water sports lovers with about 20 diving sites during tides appropriate for all divers experienced and tourists can explore beyond the coral reef after you are done exploring turtles, various fish species, proceed and have a glimpse of dolphins in case you are lucky.
Horse riding
It is an unforgettable experience on the backdrop of a sandy beach and clear waters as the sun rises or sets in Watamu making it magical. The activity is enjoyed by both adults and kids leaving you with the best safari in Kenya.
Snorkeling
The Watamu marine park gives an excellent condition for snorkeling and the best time to experience the activity is during low tide, and there is a string of buoys have been set up for boats to be tied while visitors snorkel mostly in the central side of the park. There are beautiful coral reefs and a generous amount of fish species to be seen from underwater.
Where to stay in Watamu beach.
The beach is surrounded with various accommodation places for people who would wish to spend time and nights around the beach experiencing the beautiful breezes and sounds of water during their safari around Watamu. Below are some of the accommodations tourists may stay at when they visit Kenya, especially at Watamu beach.
Turtle bay beach club
The club sits across 200 meters of beach, and the accommodation is 10 acres of tropical gardens containing 145 rooms and offering widest range of rooms of any hotel in the area.
The club is an eco-friendly place which is a tourists’ favorite and a great choice due to the conscious environment adventures. It is the first hotel in Kenya to receive a gold eco rating from Eco-Tourism Kenya’s recognition of its efforts to care for the environment and local community.
Watamu Tree House
The Watamu treehouse is white bricked, spiral shaped giving it a unique aesthetic, and its clifftop location offers sweeping views across the Indian ocean and the verdant coastal forest below, making it exist clearly within the forest. The Watamu Treehouse provides a range of relaxing activities like massages, yoga, cooking demonstrations and offers delicious food in their restaurant of Swahili, Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.
Ocean Sports Resort.
This is a popular family-owned resort offering a broad range of accommodation where you can choose between a veranda room, a family nest of 4 interconnected rooms, two story cabana room and a beach house containing 4 bed rooms and 3 bedrooms with a traditional pub. The resort’s bar offers a panoramic view of the Watamu beach, making it perfect for sundowners and the bar is known for its nightlife and lively evening atmosphere.
Boutique hotel Nyumbani Tembo
The boutique is located 400 yards from Watamu beach and it is one of the best situated hotels along the beach and the hotel’s traditional decorated rooms have a central courtyard area containing a large swimming pool with other facilities like a currency exchange desk, a bar and restaurant, a shared lounge and also offer great value for money. The hotel has a first-class facility giving travelers the best safari stay in Kenya.
When to visit: Watamu beach.
The beach is advised to be visited in warm and hot years round (July to October) making it the driest conditions with clean skies and milder which are more comfortable temperatures. These months give you the best experience of water games and activities and the Watamu park generally gives you the best scenic views of the beach making it perfect on the calendar. However, the shorter dry season is also an equally rewarding time for beach vacations and experiences running from January to early March, although it an get humid as temperatures soar.
Accessing Watamu beach.
Mombasa and Malindi are close to Watamu beach and flights from Nairobi can transport you there and the trip from Malindi airport takes 30 minutes and majority of hotels provide an airport transportation service. Driving from Mombasa is a bit longer and takes about 90 minutes and around 8,000ksh will be required for a cab ride but it is also possible to drive from Nairobi taking 8 hours. The flight is very scenic, passing over the expanse of Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks enroute to the descent to Malindi by the Indian Ocean.