Malindi Things to Do Tips by call_me_rhia Top 5 Page for this destination

the old mosque

In the courtyard of the Juma'a Mosque you can see the remainings of the old mosque: some scattered old stones and parts of walls, a few simple graves and.. a pillar grave. This one is really beautiful - and ornated with some fine examples of stone carvings. It's really a lot more interesting than the mosque itself. However it's not quite allowed to walk up to the ruins (the grassy patch is a Muslim cemetery), so you'll have to take your photos from the distance

Address: Malindi

Directions: in the courtyard of the Juma'a Mosque

the Friday's mosque

Many people in Malindi are Muslim, and the little town is home to twelve mosques. The most "noticeable" is just by the road coming in from Mombasa, but it's not the most important one - not the largest. The largest of which is Juma'a Mosque in the heart of the old town - sort of hidden away among houses and behind high walls: we were not allowed to visit it - I'm not sure if it was because it was Friday or else because we are not muslims. We could only steal a glimpse inside from the front door. This mosque has a bloody past: it was misused as a haven for slave trading until mid 1870's

Address: Malindi

Directions: in the old town

the portuguese chapel

One of the oldest buildings in town is the Portuguese chapel. It is a simple white-washed cubic building with a traditional makuti roof (whih is nothing else than a strw roof). Within the chapel's fence there's a small graveyard, dating to the 16th century, too - which provides a fascinating portrait of the history of this stretch of "Portuguese" coastline. The chapel's gates are normally closed - but if you want to visit it all you have to do is ask someone in the adjoining bar - and they'll fetch someone with the gate's key for you

Address: malindi

Directions: along beach front road - before the baobab restaurant

the new market

Malindi's new market looks everything but new: it's a long row of stalls selling everything and anything - in particular goods of practical nature. You can find cheap clothes and shoes, footballs, and all sorts of food that you's like. I especially liked the fruits' stalls - particularly because I did not recognise most of the fruits they were selling. There are two things that you won't find in this market: souvenirs and coffee. While the first seems reasonable - since it's not a tourist trap or attraction - the latter doesn't make sense. Keny produces excellent coffee - and Î know that Kenyan people drink coffee... still, the only one I could find was western instant coffee. Go figure.

Address: malindi

Directions: off the old town - by the garage and bus station

a walk on the coral reef

When the tide is out, the coral reef is in! It's possible to walk out and about there and admire the fishes that have been trapped in holes and left behind by the tide. We saw corals of every shape and size, some tame water snakes, poisonous sea-urchins, colourful little fishes - and hundreds of star fishes. They were sooooo amazing: grey, red, brown, green, black and blue; these colourful ones are even more spectacular if you turn them around: their back colour is different. Some star fishes were standing still, others were of a different sort and moved like spiders. Very fascinating. See my travelogue for more pictures.

Address: Malindi beach

Directions: at low-tide - on the beach. Ask the local beach boys to take you out there and explain you the marine life that you'll see.

vasco da gama point

This is the point where the Portuguese seaman Vasco da Gama laid his anchor in Kenya - after he had been turned away from Mombasa. People here welcomed him with open arms. There is now a simple white-washed pillar as a monument to mark the spot where he landed. It's along the seafront - after Malindi's beach - and you can reach it on foot easily - by following a narrown lane by the sea - or scrambling onto and along the ocean-front rocks. There are nice views from the monument.

Address: malindi

Directions: about 15 minutes walk from the beach - direction malindi town