Lodging and dining

Lamu offers accommodation for all types of travelers, ranging from premium and luxurious to midrange and budget.

In terms of dining, one can feast on traditional Swahili cuisine, tasty and fresh seafood, or intercontinental cuisines.

Lamu has so many spacious restaurants serving nice and affordable Swahili cuisine such as pilau, biryani, coconut chicken curry, bhajia, coconut rice with mango chutney, and snacks like kitumbua and mahamri.

According to Charo, Lamu Island is a safe place and there have not been any recent security incidents involving tourists.

How to get there

It is advisable to fly to Lamu because there are safety concerns on the road to the island.

Lamu Island is serviced by an airstrip on the neighboring Manda Island. There are daily scheduled flights from Nairobi, Mombasa, Diani and Malindi. The average direct flight duration from Nairobi's Wilson Airport to Manda Airport is 1 hour and 30 minutes, while a connecting flight is usually 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Passengers are then ferried by dhow to either Lamu town or Shela. A private boat ride from the airport costs between $5 and $10, while a ride on a public boat costs $1. From Shela to Lamu or vice versa, a private boat costs $5 in the daytime and double the price at night.