An island city built
by everyone who passed through.
Mombasa is Kenya’s second city and its main port, built on an island and spread onto the mainland either side. It has been fought over by the Portuguese, the Omanis and the British, and traded with Arabia, Persia and India for far longer than any of them, and the result is a place where Swahili, Omani and Indian architecture sit on the same street. Fort Jesus, finished in 1593 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the obvious starting point. The beaches at Nyali and Bamburi are twenty minutes from it.
Kenyan coast
Approximate city area
Ideal length of stay
Best conditions
Why visit Mombasa
A Portuguese fort from 1593, and the single best place to understand how contested this coast has been.
Carved doors, narrow lanes and layered architecture. Worth a guided walk rather than wandering alone.
Coconut, tamarind and spice, cooked properly. The coast eats differently from the rest of Kenya.
Nyali and Bamburi are a short drive from the old city, so history and beach fit in the same day.
Flights, road connections and the ferry south all run from here.
This is a real city rather than a resort strip, which is precisely what some travellers want.
What there is to do
Fort Jesus Tour
The Portuguese fort of 1593, a UNESCO site, and the clearest way into five hundred years of coastal history.
Old Town Walk
Narrow streets, carved doors and Swahili, Omani and Indian architecture layered on top of each other.
Spice Market Visit
The old market for spice, produce and cloth, and the best hour for understanding how the city eats.
Nyali Beach Day
The main north-shore beach, easy to reach and set up for a straightforward day by the water.
Swahili Cooking Experience
Coastal cooking is coconut, tamarind and spice. Learning it beats reading about it.
Marine life and wildlife
Dolphin
Bottlenose and humpback dolphin work the reef edge, most often seen on an early boat trip.
Sea Turtle
Green and hawksbill turtle feed on the seagrass and nest on these beaches between March and July.
Colobus Monkey
The Angolan colobus is the coast’s signature primate, and Diani has one of the last viable populations.
Reef Fish
Parrotfish, angelfish, snapper and butterflyfish across the coral. Visibility decides how much you see.
Starfish
The shallow lagoons at low tide are full of them, which makes them the easiest marine life to show children.
When to go
The coast runs on two monsoons rather than a dry and wet season. Both have their advantages.
Kusi season
The south-east monsoon. Cooler, breezier and dry, with the best conditions of the year for being outdoors.
Kaskazi season
The north-east monsoon brings hot, still, humid days and the calmest, clearest water for diving.
Short rains
Brief afternoon storms that clear quickly, warm sea and noticeably lower rates.
Long rains
The wettest stretch, with reduced visibility underwater and some hotels closing for maintenance.
Add Mombasa to your trip
Mombasa works as a coastal stop after Tsavo, or as the arrival point for a beach leg.