Image via WikipediaThis weekend the Times Travel section has a great article on Lamu, an island in the north of Kenya. The article looks at villas and self-catering locations you can rent in town but when I was there last October I stayed at the Lamu Palace hotel - a rambling old palace with large airy rooms, friendly owners and the fantastic view over the bay.
Lamu really is a place like no other. On the Swahili coast of Africa - like a less-touristy Zanzibar or a more evocative Mozambique Island. It's an old island and a traditional one There are no cars (apart from a police Land Rover and an ambulance) and your only options for getting around are by bike, donkey or to hail a passing dhow for a trip round the coast. You arrive by plane on a landstrip opposite Lamu and are met by a fleet of dhows ready to take you over to the island. Once there, the narrow streets (no need to design them for cars) wind through markets and past beautiful old villas and palaces. Little restaurants and shops, and the odd gallery, dot the town.
I visited in November, at the time of the Lamu Cultural Festival and probably one of the busier times of the year. There were about 20 people on my Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi, via Malindi! The festival meant that every spare public place had been turned into an outdoor art gallery or music venue. Daily dhow racing was followed by the donkey races, swimming through the harbour for the local children and ancient rituals performed by the local men.
I went to get away from it all and relax, soak up some sun, some culture and to see the festival. I'd recommend Lamu for anybody wanting any of these things.
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