Marked by unblemished, long stretch of white-sand beach embosomed by verdant forest and kissed by surfable waves, Diani Beach is magical and no wonder one of the most famous Beaches in Kenya. This remarkable Resort town scores highly when it comes to attracting large crowds of watersport lovers, party animals, lazy travelers, backpackers, small groups, family travelers and honeymooners.
It has been recognized and voted the leading beach destination in Africa for the 5th time running since 2015.
Location of Diani Beach.
Diani Beach is the main Beach on the Indian Ocean Coast of Kenya, within the East African region and is situated at about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Mombasa, within the county of Kwale.
Size of Diani Beach.
Diani Beach is approximately 17 kilometers (11 miles) long from River Kongo to the north and Galu Beach to the south. At the southern border of the Beach is an old Baobab tree and this Beach is one of the most popular Tourism Resort Areas of Kenya.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN DIANI BEACH.
Diani Beach is primarily known for its spectacular coral reefs, primate species especially the Angolan black and white colobus monkeys, Sykes monkeys and vervet monkeys and given its close proximity to the Shimba Hills National Reserve, expect to see elephants, sable antelopes and many other species.
Kongo Museum.
Kongo is a 16th century mosque located within the extreme northern end of Diani Beach, where River Kongo flows into the Indian Ocean. It is the last remaining of the ancient Swahili structures in Diani Beach.
DIANI BEACH TOURIST ACTIVITIES.
Unwinding at the resort.
Staying at the different accommodation facilities within or around Diani Beach is an experience itself. You can just laze in a hammock while relishing the jaw-dropping views of the Ocean as well as the surrounding white sandy beaches and turquoise waters.
If unwinding in a hammock gets boring or tiring, choose from the range of other available tourist activities that include;
Guided walks within the Colobus Conservation Center.
You will catch a glance at the curious monkeys climbing on rope ladders over the road. These aerial ropeways are the work of the Colobus Conservation Center, which aims at protecting the outstanding Angolan black and white colobus monkeys, a once popular primate species not confined to few isolated pockets of forests south of Mombasa and there are only about 5000 monkeys in these places.
The center also conducts tours of its endowed headquarters where you are likely to encounter few injured or orphaned Angolan black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys and Sykes’ monkeys still undergoing their rehabilitation process in the wild.
With prior booking, forest walks can be arranged to allow visitors search for wilder primate species as well as other wildlife species.
Visit the sacred forests.
Kaya Kinondo is mysterious forest, sacred to the Digo people and is the only one of Diani Beach’s sacred forests that is open to travellers. Exploring this indigenous sacred forest that has survived pressures from tourist development, population growth the high poverty levels is a historical journey and indescribable cultural experience.
As you make your way across the intertwined roots as well as chunks of ancient coral, the local guide identifies different plants (roots, leaves, barks and stems) used for traditional medicine. The walk through this sacred forest is not for the faint-hearted and even if you suddenly develop fear, you can overcome and transmit it to an ancient tree by hugging it.
Before venturing into the Kaya Kinondo, visitors are required to first remove their headwear and requested not to kiss anyone inside it. Black sarongs (locally known as kaniki) are provided and are to be wrapped around your waist before following the guide who will identify and explain the importance of some of the 187 flora species in the grove.
Some of the outstanding species of flora are the “pimple tree” believed to be over 1050 years old and renowned cure for acne, Viagra tree and many others.
Majority of the kaya (sacred forests) have so far been identified within Diani Beach, all of which were originally home to the Mijikenda villages. Mijikenda, locally translated as 9 homesteads is made up of nine sub-tribes-Kambe, Digo, Duruma, Rabai, Chonyi, Jibana, Ribe, Kauma and Giriama who all united by language, culture and history. Nonetheless, these tribes remain different and peak own dialects of the Mijikenda main language.
Moving in the forest, you will see a connection among these sub-tribes and many trees in the forest are about 600 years old, which correlate with the arrival of the first Mijikenda from Singwaya, their semi-legendary homeland in the south of Somalia.
The main purpose of these sacred forests was to shelter villages of the Mijikenda, which were found in a vast central clearing. Getting to the center of the sacred forest, ritual knowledge is required to continue through circles of sacredness fringing the node of the village. Sacred spells were meant to bring about hallucinations that disorganized enemies which could attack the sacred forest.
These sacred forests were completely abandoned in the 1940s and conservative strains of Christianity and Islam have disparaged their values to the Mijikenda but with the declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, their authenticity and naturalness have been preserved for future generations to see and experience. The Kaya or sacred forests have existed for over 600 years and with luck, the wind speaks through their branches for a long time.
Tours of the iconic Coral Mosques.
You can also explore the outstanding Coral Mosques with their archways overlooking the vast Ocean, including the magnificent Kongo Mosque. This 16th Century Mosque is the oldest in East Africa and set at the extreme northern tip of the Beach road and is one of the area’s last remaining artifacts of the Ancient Swahili civilizations that once ruled over the East African Coast as well as one of the small handful of coral Mosques still existing in Kenya.
The baobab-fringed Beach is a perfect picnic spot and the Coral Mosque is worth exploring despite the contemporary extension.
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving.
Snorkeling and Scuba diving are big deals within Diani Beach and it is one of the few places you can undertake diving or snorkeling safaris on traditional dhows including excursions to the spectacular Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve.
Other adventurous watersports in Diani Beach include swimming, waterskiing, windsurfing, kayaking and sailing.
Visit to Shimba Hills National Reserve.
Visible from Diani Beach, Shimba Hills National Reserve is one of the largest coastal forests in East Africa and a phenomenal home of rich biodiversity. Visitors can catch a glimpse of elephants, sable antelopes, bush-tailed mongoose, fruits bats, elephant shrew and other small mammal species.
This reserve is also an Important Birding Area with several grassland and forest bird species such as the Zanzibar Red Bishop, Red-necked spurfowl, croaking cisticola and many others.
ACCOMMODATION FACILITIES WITHIN DIANI BEACH.
Diani Beach itself already sounds like travelers typical Resort Town and it boasts some of the top accommodation facilities in magical Kenya, ranging from the less costly budget party hostels to the state of art kitesurfing safari Lodges as well as elegant Honeymoon spots. Majority of the places to stay here are scattered along the main Beach road or shrouded behind a line of lush forest.
The Maji Beach Boutique Hotel.
This award-wining hotel offers luxury and relaxation along the Kenyan Coast. It features 15 individually and distinctively ornamented rooms in 6 categories. Dining here can be done from the dining area, candle-lit pool deck and Al Fresco dining while guests are treated to variety of drinks at the Maji Moto Bar.
Other facilities at this luxurious facility are Moringa Spa, fully-equipped gym and swimming pool with open-air ocean view Jacuzzi overlooking the Beach.
The Sands at Nomad.
The Sands at Nomad envisions the best that the country’s spectacular south coast has to offer. This luxurious accommodation facility is hidden within 26 acres of verdant coastal forest, on the magical shores of Diani Beach, rewarding visitors with intimate Beach getaway experience. While here, be prepared to indulge in fine dining, the Beach restaurant and bar overlooking the white sand and turquoise waters and diving the crab among others.
Other must-visit accommodation facilities in or around Diani Beach include Wayside Beach Apartments, Baobab Reach Resort and Spa, Apple Mango Apartments, Mbinzaka Guest Cottage, Shambani Cottages, Diani Beach Villas Cottages, Diani Beachalets, Tamani @ Galu Beach Sea Lodge, Papillion Lagoon Reef Hotel, Villa Holly & Villa Dora, Leopard Beach Resort and Spa, Maua Lodge, Villa Mandhari Diani Beach and many others.
BEST TIME TO VISIT DIANI BEACH.
The southern coast of Kenya can be visited throughout the year but the best time to visit Diani Beach is the cooler months – July, August and September as well as the dry season-January, February and early March. However, during these months, westerners are on summer holidays and the place tends to over crowd.
HOW TO GET TO DIANI BEACH?
Diani Beach is approximately 30 kilometers/30 minutes’ drive from the historical Port City of Mombasa and about 3-hours’ drive from Tsavo National Park. You can reach the Beach by rail, road or air transport. For visitors connecting from Nairobi, there is a small airstrip, Ukunda airstrip between the Beach area and the Mombasa-Lunga Lunga road. This Airport is only 5 minutes from the spectacular Diani Beach.
For railway, use the Standard Gauge Railway Mandaraka Express from Nairobi to Mombasa, then proceed by taxi/or cab from the terminal to Diani Beach.
For road, take the overnight bus from Nairobi City to Ukunda, lasting over 12 hours but is the most cost-effective way to get to Diani Beach.
When connecting from Mombasa Town, follow the A14 south with clear signposts indicating direction to Ukunda and then to the pristine Beach. Branch-off from the A14 before getting to Ukunda Town but flights are also available from Mombasa to Ukunda Airport.
