KIWAYU

Lamu Beaches

Kiwayu: Our View

If you have been looking on this web site for which of the beach lodges we think is the best….you may have just found it! With its relaxed feel and spacious rooms, Kiwayu is definitely up there with the best beach lodges in Africa. This region is such an untouched paradise that the World Wildlife Fund has a post here to study the turtle that are to be frequently found flapping their way up the beaches at night (best season being April to September and December to February).

The onus here is on utter relaxation and tranquillity with long beach walks and sun set picnics the norm. Owner operated by George Moorehead and his wife, the standards of food and service are excellent and attention to detail has really been applied throughout, from the standard, huge bandas, to the private, honeymoon island. The best times to visit are from September through to April although it can get very windy just before the turn of the trade winds in October/November. The only real drawback is the difficulty to get here...but that is also part of the attraction. I think the only drawback is that it doesn't come cheap!!

Kiwayu were the pioneers of 'barefoot luxury' in Kenya, we love it and we give 5 palms

Kiwayu: Fast Facts

$480 per person per night (high season)

Our Rating

Mainland beach lodge right on the very north coast
Outstanding feel in the camp
Great food
Miles of undisturbed beach
18 open fronted, palm covered bandas
SPECIAL OFFER: 15% off in 2011

Kiwayu: The Detail

Kiwayu is a natural, simple but luxurious and secluded retreat. It is a place to disappear and restore your soul. Miles of deserted beaches with soft white sand and the soothing sound of waves will soon awaken the senses and lead you back to nature’s eternal rhythms. Kiwayu offers a retreat to those discriminating people who are tired of superficial sophistication, who wish for a return to a natural lifestyle and who desire contact with the best and simplest seafaring life that Kenya can offer.

You will find no concrete, only thatched bandas, ensuite cottages, which blend in into the dunes and sway with the monsoons. There are eighteen bandas between the waves and the dunes…Each banda consists of a spacious bedroom with antique Swahili furniture, a dressing room, a safari-style shower with running water and a lavatory. Each hammock-strung verandah offers privacy and panoramic views over the lagoon. The dining room, lounge and bar are also built with palm-thatched roofs and woven matting floors with bright, colourful scatter cushions on the seats. There is also a small gift shop.

Activities include snorkeling, dhow trips to the island or picnics with maybe cold crab, lobster, fresh bread, wine and mango in far-off coves. Fishing for rock cod, barracuda and snapper in the wide channels that thread through the magnificent mangrove forests, windsurfing, water skiing in the sheltered lagoon, laser sailing and walks on the sandy beaches or over the dunes. Or pick your own rock oysters.

Kiwayu: Latest News

Something Sacred by Jonathan & Angela Scott: in East Africa Destination Few locations along the Kenyan Coast offer the magical mix of elegance and wild Africa that can be found at Kiwayu. You will love the remoteness and the sense of escape that it delivers. Ocean Dreaming Soon, Nairobi’s crowded tenements and noisy highways evaporated from view – ahead lay open spaces and [...]
Kiwayu (Lamu, Kenya) in ‘The Financial Times’ December 2009: “Travelling to Africa with children” by Sophy Roberts This is an extract from an article written by Sophy Roberts for the December 2009 issue of ’The Financial Times’ : “Among my favourite places in East Africa is Kiwayu Safari Village. Located just 30 miles north of Lamu on the remote coast of the Kiunga Marine Reserve, this privately owned [...]
Kiwayu, Kenya in ‘The Spectator’ July 2009: “Catch it while you can” by Charlotte Metcalf “Charlotte Medcalf finds a hidden paradise on Kenya’s coast: Last November I took my four-year-old daughter to Africa for the first time. We flew in a tiny plane from Lamu, travelling up Kenya’s coast to the Kiunga Marina Reserve where the Pelizzoli family owns and runs Kiwayu Safari Village. The ‘lodge’, [...]
Kiwayu, Lamu, in ‘G Magazine’ article: “Billionaires and Backpackers” This is an extract from an article written by Chris Bagley from the Condenast Paris Offices, following his visit to Kiwayu in August of 2009: ‘… Even those who come to Lamu for its raucous holiday scene tend to slip away at some point, heading off to one of several pricey hideaways that [...]
Saltwater Fly Fishing at Kiwayu , Kenya . Kiwayu Safari Village , in the Lamu Archipelago , has the very good fortune to be able to offer our guests to go fly fishing for a sailfish or tuna in the morning and in the afternoon to go fly fishing in the mangrove channels for snappers and groupers . [...]
Off Shore , Reef Fishing and Fly Fishing at Kiwayu in Lamu Archipelago , Coast of Kenya Kiwayu is privileged to be in one of best fisheries on the Kenyan Coast . The jagged rocky coast line and reef running closeby off Kiwayu provide for very interesting features for the fisherman . Whether you are trawling with rapalas , spinning or fly fishing . There are numerous of [...]
In Shore, Creek Fishing and Fly Fishing at Kiwayu in Lamu Archipelago, Kenya., Kenya. The vast inland waters of the Mangrove channels which are all part of the Kiunga Marine Reserve provide excellent habitat for varoius species like snappers , groupers , trevally , wolf fish and barrcuda. These are normally caught by trawling a couple of rapalas on 25lbs rod out the back [...]
Stefano Cheli reviews his Kenyan beach holiday APRIL 2009 : Letter from Stefano Cheli Dear Friends and Colleagues, Liz, the boys and I have just returned from 3 nights at Kiwayu Safari Village. We must admit that we had not been to Kiwayu for a while, and were very happy to find it still one of the most wonderful [...]
Imelda Staunton in The Daily Telegraph March 8th 2009 Imelda Staunton in The Daily Telegraph March 8th 2009 On a subsequent trip, after another safari, we ended up staying at the stunning Kiwayu Safari Village. It was very nice lying there on the beach, but it all seemed a bit tame – then suddenly about 50 monkeys came over the [...]
Nigella on Kiwayu Cocktail’s Visit Nigella’s website for Waite’s ‘Dawa’ Cocktail recipe after her recent visit to Kiwayu.

Manda Bay is definitely up there with the best (but also the most expensive) of the luxury beach properties on the Kenya Coast. Set a mere 20 minute boat ride from Lamu Island, the lodge is set on the west side of Manda Island which gives it a protected outlook onto the inner waterways that run between the islands. This is both a blessing and a drawback in our book.

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Funzi Keys

Indian Ocean Islands

Set far away from the madding crowd, the lodge is a great place to get away from it all. Each of the rooms has been thought out and designed with its particular location in mind. This gives each room a true feeling of individuality and comfort. With superb service and a policy of food when you want it, there is no need to rush or stress at all.

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Delta Dunes

Indian Ocean Mainland

The Tana Delta and the Delta Dunes camp is something very different from the rest. What the lodge offers is a truly memorable experience that will let you glimpse one of the last and most remote areas that East Africa has to offer. It is a place where hippo can still be occasionally seen riding the surf as it rolls in from the ocean, or fish eagles can be seen walking along the beach looking for stranded prey.

We are a big fan of the lodge in general as it really has both a relaxed and authentic feel. Where it may not be for those wanting to just lie on a white sand beach sipping pina coladas, it requires you to get involved and makes you feel like you are discovering this wild region for yourself, for the first time. A stay in the lodge will leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated!

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