WHAT TO DO IN LAMU?

A great variety - it all depends on one's range of interest.






Sailing and dhow building, fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling.

walking and kayaking



Cultural exchange - Meeting other people and other views



Birdwatching is also popular.

There is a lot of cultural heritage,

You must visit Lamu Museum, to see how people lived,
the Swahili house Museum for architectural interest,
the old Lamu Fort, (just in front of our house has been restored
with Swedish and Norwegian aid money.)



Studying;
Swahili language - as Lamu is in fact the cradle of Swahili litterature.
You still find old swahili poetry remembered and recited from generations until today.

Swahili music is a subject of its own, not much written about;
There is Traditional Taarab Music and Modern Taarab music.
If you look around carefully. you may come across live music Clubs
Also the traditional wedding arrangements will offer possibilities to hear this music.



Wood carving,

Architecture

Islam

Lamu Cultural Festival over an extended weekend in November, a weekend filled with events!
Taarab Music Group from Zanzibar, Food and Music from Morocco and Spain,
Khanga Exhibition in the Fort and much more

Shopping is not bad in Lamu nowadays. You can find some smart shops
and there are so many taylors who can make you nice clothes suitable for Lamu climate.

i
Giriama dances and traditional Stick Dance



Dhow Races and Donkey Races

Sandy walk to Shela village

Fortyfive minutes' walk along the seafront towards the
south of the island you find a pretty touristique village SHELA,
and Shela Beach.
Many captains are ready to take you to the beach in their boats,
just look for them on the seafront in Lamu - calling Shela Beach, Shela Beach!
Here it is extremely quiet.There are some hotels and many guesthouses.

Peponi´s Hotel is a well kept Danish! -run 20 rooms hotel
with a nice grill right on the beach.

Further along Shela Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world Shela Crescent.
I have asked many travellers who have been "everywhere" and they mean
that this one is one of the best. Best because it is still so unexploited.
The sand dunes always change their character and the Indian Ocean is always different
but soft and gentle. Around 27 degrees warm water.
There is nothing but the sea and the sand and the sun and You.

IF YOU LIKE WALKING - - -

Recently we have aquired a shamba 45 min walk from town.
A shamba is an agricultural piece of land small or big.
We fell in love with the peaceful sensation that comes over us
when walking out of town on an early morning.
We can arrange an early morning walk to the shamba.
From town we walk diagonally across the inland of Lamu
behind town past huge Mango trees, tall coconuts, on sandy donkey paths,
passing informal settlements - goats and cows, another life
towards the sanddunes of the long Shela Crescent 12 km long.
Beautiful and still cool in the new morning sun.
We reach our "new" gem, a three acre shamba with cashewnuts,
coconuts, mangoes and lime trees, still young.
We add more trees and plants every time.
Shamba Miti Mingi is the name.
( = The shamba with many different trees)



Here is Zawadi at the shamba.

Cashew nuts grow like this under a reddish fruit

We take our tea there (brought by our donkey) we rest and look around
and then off across the two sanddunes to the long long beach,
a bit tough for now the sun is higher.
But the reward - voilà! We reach the sea.




Quite far away from Shella. Take a beautiful swim in the big waves!
Then the wonderful walk back to Shella -
if you had enough walk, you catch a boat back to town.

Another long walk can be planned on Manda Island at low tide

You walk past the majestic baobab trees on the island of Manda



Sunset and Dhows


We have many things to learn from the Swahili society.
The way of organizing life is so different from life in Europe.



Henna painting and boat making

Bao and Damm - popular Lamu games