Diani Beach

Getting out of the City is always a treat. Especially when its a week away with your partner in crime. Martin and I are in a LDR which sucks; skype is our lifeline. So when we do get to see each other, we make the most of it and enjoy some good quality time together. This time was a week at Diani beach. Kenya’s South Coast.

If you have been to the coast, you know what Diani is like. For those that haven’t, let me give you some tips.

Along the Kenyan coast from North to South you have:  Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi, Mombasa, Diani. These are by no means all the towns, but they are the ‘bigger’ or more ‘popular’ ones. What I write here as you should know, is all my own opinion. Malindi is known as ‘Little Italy’ as the Italians have taken over and are everywhere. Watamu is a KC (Kenya Cowboy- i.e White Kenyan) favourite housing the infamous ‘Open Sports’ or better known as ‘Open Shorts’. Kilifi, more of a relaxed, off the grid vibe, although is home to a ‘hip’ New Years favourite, the backpackers ‘Distant Relatives’. Then you have Mombasa. It’s big, it’s congested and there are far too many people. However, it is historical and here you will find ‘Fort Jesus’. Then we get to Diani. Seaweed free beaches, white sands, and a lot of tourists. It’s a popular destination for a lot of Europeans, you will find the well know ’40 Thieves beach bar’ and ‘Ali Barbours cave’. To me, it’s my go to spot.

Diani has an a small airport ‘Ukunda Airstrip’ which makes it easy to fly in and out of Nairobi. Airlines that operate there are: Jambo Set, Safarilink, SAX, Airkenya.  Jambo Jet is generally the more affordable one (but the further you book in advance, the better). It’s a comfortable flight but anything on board you need to pay for, and you only get your 10kg cabin baggage free.

There are A LOT of hotels, and I will do a separate post on the one I stayed at. If your idea of going to the beach is not lying down in the sun and reading, don’t fret because there are tons of things to do including:

• Skydiving with ‘Sky Dive Diani’
• Snorkling
• Deep sea diving
• Deep sea Fishing
• Windsurfing
• Kite surfing
• Jet skiing
• Cycling
• Quadbiking
• Canoeing

Etc. The list goes on. Whatever type of holiday you want you can find. If a hotel isn’t your cup of tea, there are many houses that you can choose from to rent.