Malindi is a town on Malindi Bay at the mouth of the Galana River, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.
Tourism is the major industry in Malindi with main tourists group Italian.
The small town of Malindi is known for its pristine white beaches offering the visitor a range of world-class resorts and quiet relaxing hideaways.
Photo credit: Luca Boldrini / Flickr
Marafa – Hell’s Kitchen
The Marafa Depression is a vast canyon-like area resulting from soil erosion. Marafa Depression canyon is located 1 hour away from Malindi Town, in the coast of Kenya. It is also known as Hell’s Kitchen because of the high temperatures that can go up to 50 degrees in the afternoons. The colors of the sandstone reveal colors like red, yellow and white of the rock are due to the content of iron, for ochre and chalk.
There will be an entry charge for the depression paid to visit the site, that goes towards helping the local community.
The best time to visit is in the afternoon after lunch. You can join an informative walking tour of the place with a guide and enjoy the most beautiful sight of Sunset in Africa.
Photo credit: Filip Lachowski / Flickr
Malindi Marine National Park
Malindi Marine National Park, off the coast of Kenya, is believed to be the oldest marine park in Africa. The park lies at Malindi and it is protected and administered by the Kenya Wildlife Service. Marine Park is considered one of the best snorkeling and diving areas on the coast of East Africa.
Along the shoreline in the area, you can enjoy beautiful white sand beaches and offshore coral formations.
Photo credit: Mgiganteus / Wikipedia
Vasco da Gama Pillar
Vasco da Gama Pillar is among the oldest monuments built by Europeans in the 15th century. The pillar is situated on the seafront road near the jetty about 120 km from Mombasa City and was built a century before the Fort Jesus in Mombasa.
This bell-shaped monument built by the Portuguese to give direction for those following the sea route to India. It was named after the famous Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama.
The falconry
This beautiful destination is home to a large collection of birds. Some of the bird varieties include Eagles, Owls, Falcons and Pecker birds, among others.
Another fascinating animal in the falconry is a large tortoise which is 200 year old. This huge and slowly moving creature can be fed with bananas by tourists.
Photo credit: Diego Tirira / Flickr
Gedi ruins
The ruins of Gedi are a historical and archaeological site near the Indian Ocean coast of eastern Kenya. This historic town occupies an area of 44 hectares of land and dates back from the 15th century.
The well-established town’s mysterious abandonment and incredible development is buried deep in a lush forest. Although there are few historical documents specifically associating Gedi with Indian Ocean trade. It is believed the town of Gedi to be a settlement established by the Swahili and inhabited by sailors, traders, and settlers.
The ruins were discovered by British settlers clearing forests in the early 20th century.
Photo credit: Nize / Wikipedia
Watamu National Marine Park
Watamu Marine National Park and Reserve is one of Kenya’s first marine parks. Visitors can enjoy the pristine white-sand beaches and reef-protected lagoons line, snorkeling, water skiing, windsurfing, and glass-bottomed boat tours.
Watamu National Park is home to over 150 hard and soft corals, fans and sponges and over 500 species of tropical fish including Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, 3 species of Turtles, Angelfish. The turtles nesting in Watamu includes the Green, Hawksbill and Olive Ridley turtles.
Photo credit: Ruslik0 / Wikipedia
Malindi Museum
This three-story waterfront building is located just a few meters from Malindi jetty and the fish market. The building is a symbol of Swahili architecture and contains displays of a stuffed coelacanth, archaeological findings around the coast and a collection of rare vigango.
The museum features temporary exhibits including famous Malindi Coelacanth. The museum also doubles as an information center where visitors are able to find more information on attractions and happenings in Malindi.
Photo credit: ordercrazy / Wikipedia
Mida creek
Stretching inland from the sea into Arabuko Sokoke Forest is Mida creek. It expands across an area of 32 km2 and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It comprises different types of habitats such as an expansive range of fish species and feeding sea turtles, crabs, and birdlife.
Mida is best explored by boat. Flamingoes are often seen feeding in Mida. The creek is also a famous kayaking destination for tourists.
Bio Ken Snake Park
Bio-Ken is a research center, which deals with reptiles, especially snakes and snake-bite. There are about 127 different snake species in Kenya. You learn how to locate and identify as well as their natural habitats.
Photo credit: Николай Максимович / Wikipedia
Arabuko Sokoke National Park
With a size of 420 km2, Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is the largest remaining section of dry coastal forest found in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The Arabuko Sokoke Forest is an area of high endemism, containing endemic mammals, birds, and plants. Over 260 species of birds have been recorded in the forest. It contains three forest types, mixed forest, Brachystegia and Cynometra, each of which protects different communities of plants and animals.
The forest also has savannah elephants, African civets, as well as sokokes, baboons and vervet monkeys.
Featured photo credit: Paco Gómez / Flickr
Africa offers so much for exploring. If Africa is your next travel destination, don’t forget to check some of our other blog posts about Africa.
