Watamu is a small Kenyan coastal town with breathtaking natural beauty that offers breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean. Watamu Marine National Park and Reserve has the three bays of Watamu, Blue Lagoon, and Turtle Bays, its most well-known feature.
The best reasons to visit are its sandy beaches and coral gardens, along with its abundance of seabirds, green and hawksbill turtles, and Mida Creek’s sand flats and mangrove forest.
An Overview
Watamu was merely a forest with no inhabitants, the Bajuni people, who were fishermen from Malindi and Lamu. People might know this town well for being the epicenter of game fishing in East Africa, with its record-breaking marlin, wahoo, and sailfish. Watamu is a seaside hamlet which people know for its beautiful white sand Bravo Watamu beach. The area has protection as a component of the Watamu National Marine Park.
Watamu Hamlet offers a fusion of contemporary amenities and the captivating Swahili culture. Italian bakeries, delicatessens, coffee shops, gelato bars, and wine stores can be found. Gourmet to traditional local cuisine is served at restaurants, and there’s a wide variety of taverns, discos, and clubs to choose from in the evening.
5 Things to Do in Watamu
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National Park and Reserve of Watamu Marine
The location of one of Kenya’s oldest marine parks, Watamu Marine National Park is 300 meters offshore along the Indian Ocean, 90 miles north of Mombasa, the country’s second-largest city, and the Kenyan government created it in 1968. More than 500 species of fish inhabit the main park and over 1000 in the reserve thanks to the area’s soft and hard coral reefs. As long as they follow international fishing regulations and capture fish that the park management permits, fishermen can fish in the reserve.
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The Watamu Beach
It is a well-liked location for swimming, diving, and snorkeling, with a quiet, sandy beach that is home to a variety of aquatic life.
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The Ruins of Gedi
It is an ancient walled city with mosques, a palace, and other early settlers’ homes that we can recognize as an archaeological site.
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The Mida Creek
Here, locals and tourists canoe through the mangrove banks of Mida Creek. This UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve serves as a haven for numerous migratory species, such as large flamingos, crab-plovers, greenshanks, and sacred ibises, as well as a large saline lagoon and tidal creek merging with a massive mangrove forest.
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Forest of Arabuko Sokoke
This forest, home to several kinds of snakes and butterflies, has a spread area of across 420 square kilometers between the towns of Kilifi and Malindi.
How to Travel?
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi is 40 minutes away by plane, while Malindi International Airport is 30 minutes by car.
Fly540 and Jambojet Limited operate flights from Nairobi to Watamu three times a day. As an alternative, Modern Coast buses make the daily trip from Nairobi to Watamu. It takes around 7 hours and 36 minutes.
The Ideal Time to Travel to Watamu
Watamu receives moderate, year-round temperatures. But the driest months are July through October, when clear skies and milder, more comfortable temperatures prevail. Although normally dry, January through early March can become humid as temperatures rise. Watamu’s shoreline periodically accumulates seaweed between June and October. Therefore, the immaculate beaches may not be as present as at other times of the year.
Conclusion
Watamu calls you! There are many goodies for tourists of all ages in it. You’re sure to find something entertaining in Watamu from the list of activities above.