Malindi

Magical
Malindi

How to
Get There

Shopping

Eating, Drinking & Nightlife

Water Sports

Dune Motor Biking

Deep Sea Fishing

Golf

Riding
Center






				There is something special in the resort town of Malindi, on the coral reef-studded Indian Ocean Coast of Kenya. Tourist resorts in the Malindi district include the towns of Malindi, Mambrui and Watamu. Malindi is warm all year round, with average daytime temperature of 29 °C. Smaller and easy going, the resorts around Malindi offer a chance to relax in the sun at international standards, while experiencing the Coast’s fascinating mixture of cultures – African tribes, Indian, Arab, Swahili, colonial settlers and today’s modern European segments.



				There are several flights on international and charter airlines to Nairobi, from which connections can be made to Malindi or Mombasa. There are also many direct flights to Mombasa’s Moi International Airport, a 1-1/2 hours, drive to Malindi. Not long after you leave the airport, you will happily be settling into your beach chair in swimming clothes, with a cool drink by your side. If your flight brings you to Malindi, the airport is only about 10 minutes from the center of the town.



				A short-term cure it may well be, but there is nothing quite like a bit of intensive retail therapy to put the fizz back in your feel-good factor. But would you put Kenya at the top of your shopaholic’s preferred venues list? Probably not. How wrong you would be though because some of Kenya’s retail revelations are deeply desirable, very affordable and make uniquely different gifts.



				There are many restaurants from the simple to the sublime. You will find Italian regional specialities, local Swahili or Kenyan food, Indian, International and even game meat. There are excellent bakeries and ice cream parlours and cafes where you can sip a cappuccino and watch the world stroll by. In the evening visit a piano bar, nightclub or discotheque.



				Water sports are an obvious activity. You can windsurf, surf, or cruise over the reef in a glass-bottomed boat to go snorkelling at the Watamu or Malindi Marine National Parks. Snorkelling will undoubtedly tempt the uninitiated to a greater underwater experience: scuba diving. Imagine yourself swimming with turtles, schools of barracuda and grouper, moray eels and even reef sharks! Malindi boasts the world’s 3rd largest live reef.



				You can rent a dune bike and explore the dune’s at Mambrui



				The sport which put Malindi on the international map is deep-sea fishing. Popular since Ernest Hemingway tried his luck here in 1934, deep sea fishing has attracted anglers from all over the world to try their luck and skills. The seas off the Malindi coast offer the best fishing in all of Africa, with nearly 6,000 billfish caught in the 1994/95 season. The sailfish population off Malindi is the world’s largest. Malindi holds more Kenya and All Africa records for Pacific sailfish than any of the other fishing clubs in the country. Broadbill swordfish are also a popular though less common catch.



				Kenya has some of the most beautiful and challenging golf courses in the world. Malindi Golf Club has a nine hole golf course over looking the sea. There are tennis courts available at several local hotels, which visitors can use. There is a squash court at the Driftwood Beach club which welcomes outside visitors.



				The horse riding Centrex accommodates beginners and experts, and you can go on a short ride to the bush. Malindi also has heath clubs, and you can keep fit with aerobics classes at many hotels. Bicycles are widely available for hire.