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Kijani House
In the village of Shela, in 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.
The Lamu Archipelago is a cluster of hot, desert islands,
consisting of flatlands and rolling sand dunes and most visitors either arrive
by light aircraft (landing on neighboring Manda Island and taking a short,
pleasant sail by dhow across a narrow channel) or by larger dhow from further
a field.
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The route by road from Mombasa, via Malindi is also an
alternative however most visitors opt for the comfortable option of flying
(approximately a 60 minute flight from either Mombasa or Nairobi).
Each room at Kijani 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 which
formerly were private homes, made of coral walls, with boriti ceiling 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.
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The town of Lamu is a labyrinth of alleyways that are
great fun exploring. Hedged by narrow, white washed houses that seem to grow
upwardly rather than expand horizontally, one has a perfect view over the
town from their flat roofed vistas, the skyline intermittently broken by
the tall spires of the white washed mosques. In the old port below, wooden
dhows docked side by side creak to the sway of the water and the sound of
traders and the local fishermen bartering wakes you as the sun rises.
A laid back atmosphere cloaks the town and its people,
and without doubt Lamu is well worth a couple of nights stay.
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