Kijani House

In the village of Shela, on the island of Lamu, Kijani House offers a unique accommodation with its 2000 sq. metres of tropical garden, which leads directly to the sea and two fresh water swimming pools.

Each room has a bathroom and has its own balcony or veranda facing the garden and the sea. The rooms are spread throughout the garden into three small seperate traditional Swahili buildings (formerly built as private homes) made of coral walls with boriti ceilings and makuti roofs.

The kitchen offers all types of fish, lobsters, crabs and prawns fresh from the sea along with meat and fresh vegetables together with African and Italian specialities. Bread is baked fresh on the hotel grounds and the marmalade and yogurt is home-made as well. There is also a small farm on the island, which provides eggs and honey.

One of the few unspoiled spots in the world is the island of Lamu and it is very likely that it will remain so for years to come as the only practical way to reach this enchanted isle is by airplane. In Lamu, you will find a vibrant society with its traditions still in tact. The people of Lamu are dubious about the merits of what would be called "progress".

Life in Lamu has a distinctly Arab-oriental flavour. The ladies scurry down back streets wearing buibuis (black cloaks which cover them entirely). In the evenings the aroma of thick Turkish-like coffee permeates the atmosphere while old men sit together philosophizing on the front steps of their houses and little boys chase one another, darting in and out of quaint shops that line the main street.

The restaurants of Lamu bustle with business. Bajun fishermen tell tales to one another while they enjoy heaped plates of rice. Night-time is delighful and everyone takes advantage of the cool breezes that blow from the Indian Ocean.