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Attractions in Lamu are an awesome mix of sights
from age long era - the ancient Old Town, donkeys, dhows, ruins, several museums
as well as endless endless secluded beaches.
For easy reading, these attractions are grouped by each of the Lamu archipelago
islands.
Main Island
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Anyone seeking a romantic
getaway will love Lamu's infinitely long and secluded
beaches. The 12 km (7 mile) stretch of the Shela beach,
which is a 45 minute walk or a 10 minute dhow sail from
Lamu town offers a long pristine white sandy beach.
Shela beach stand's out from all the other beaches
across the world because it isn't just long and private,
but it is bordered by sand-dunes that are punctuated by
tufts of vegetation.
Lamu is also great for water sports such as snorkeling,
windsurfing and diving as well as dhow sailing and
fishing.
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Dhows are elementary
wooden boats and can be found in large numbers at the
Lamu's main harbor. If you love fishing, plan to go on a
fishing expedition with a local fisherman. The common
fish types in Lamu are tuna, red snapper, kingfisher and
sailfish.
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The Donkey sanctuary
provides free veterinary services to the Lamu's 3000+
beasts of burden. It caters for the sick and injured and
even runs an ambulance service to quickly cart away
these animals in emergency situations.
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It is fitting that every
ancient town boasts a raft of museums and so these are
some of the popular tourist attractions of Lamu.
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The best of these is
probably Lamu Museum which exhibits various Swahili
culture artifacts such as boats and the local
architecture.
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Lamu Fort Environment
Museum, built by the Sultan of Paté in the early
nineteenth century to defend the then prized trading
town's waterfront, displays some subdued historical and
environmental artifacts and houses the town's library.
It is still worth a visit though, if only to take in
some breathtaking panoramic views of the town.
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The German Post Office
Museum, a monument to Germany's failure to conquer
Kenya, exhibits photographs and memorabilia from the
colonial period.
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The Swahili House Museum
in Mkomani is a delightfully restored eighteenth century
house which showcases Lamu's famous stone and "box"
architecture.
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Lamu is home to no less
than 23 mosques, the oldest of which is Pwani Mosque
which dates back to the fourteenth century.
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The newest and largest is
Riyadha Mosque built at the beginning of the twentieth
century. Riyadha Mosque also hosts the annual Maulidi
celebrations that commemorate the birth of Prophet
Mohammed.
Paté
Island
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Because Paté is surrounded
by a mangrove swamp, it can only be reached during high
tides. Not surprisingly, Paté is a trading town with the
characteristic Lamu winding alleys and double-storied
box houses.
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And, there are many
attractions in Paté Island such as the Faza settlement
and a couple of mosque ruins. The Siyu fort ruins are
the most impressive of these attractions though.
Manda
Island
Manda, which is just a
narrow channel away from the main island, is home to the
local airstrip where virtually all the aircraft land.
Manda's most visited tourist attraction is the Takwa
ruins which are remnants of a Swahili settlement which
was abandoned in the eighteenth century, probably due to
lack of fresh water.
Kiwaiyu
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The uninhabited Kiwaiyu is
as pristine as it is picturesque. This charming island
also offers plenty of coral reef and mangrove swamps to
maneuver though.
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Dodori National Reserve is
another of the stunning Lamu attractions in Kiwaiyu. The
game reserve's inhabitants include lions, giraffes,
hippos, kudus and topis.
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Dodori also offers an
array of birdlife which includes the pelican, honey
buzzard, palmut vulture, brown breasted barbet, violet
breasted sunbird, Southern branded harrier eagle, brown
hooded kingfisher as well the European and carmine
bee-eaters
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