We arrived by night bus at Mombasa. Entering the city, crossing the big bridge in the beginning with the amazing view over land and sea - it made me speechless.
Recommended time: + 4 days
I was so fascinated by the beauty of the place. We could see bars, people partying, sitting outside, and enjoying the warm evening temperatures. The city itself (islands districts) might not be attractive in the center. It's busy, during Corona times, most of the restaurants or shops were closed. But the more northern part (Nyali district) is calm, has fantastic beaches and lots of places to calm down. This city is my favorite in Kenia, instead of three days, we stayed there for ten days, always extended our stay, and spent time finally relaxing after lots of moving around.
Things To Do
The North Coast beaches
Mombasa's heart and wonderful highlight are the beaches. Our small Airbnb was close to Mombasa beach, around 20 min with a Boda-Boda distance to the center. Mombasa beach, Nyali beach: broad extended sand areas with a few shells, warm shallow water. Some tourists tried Kite surfing here - they offer lessons for around 2000 KS/hour. Walking along is not always relaxing, the sellers follow and talk to you try to sell their towels, coconuts, octopuses. You can take a ride on a camel, and they are lying on the beach all day long, either chewing or sleeping, waiting for some tourists. Also, a group of kids passed by, performing artists - they are good, but also kind of force you to give them money.
A restaurant we can highly recommend is the Masaai Beach Bar. We made friends with the security guy and a servant, two kind and earth-grounded people, having fun small talks and acting authentic and lovely. It was a comfortable, safe place to spend sunny swimming days or some evenings with live music.
The South Coast beaches
Those are the more popular beaches among tourists. I can't explain why. Diani beach is super touristic and looks the same as the northern coast beaches. You get more annoyed over there, the Kite surfing is way more expensive, and you have fewer quiet times. There are more tourist bars and places that might appear more attractive. Still, it is worth stopping by and taking a look. But in case you want to have the same experience, more local and cheaper, go to the north side.
The Mombasa Tuks
That's a short attraction, simply two big high horns across the road, as a symbol of the horns of a proud elephant. But, marking the entrance to the city and they look impressive.
Mamba Village Center
It includes a nice bar, crocodile farm, and a botanical garden. Due to Corona, it was closed, but friends living there told me it is a fun thing to do for like 1 hour during the day. There are a lot of crocodiles to watch! You can find good cheap cocktails, beers, and graffiti of a lady being eaten by a shark at the bar. It's a good area. Easy to reach with the Boda-Boda in like 15 min from the center and from Nyali.
Nightlife - Nyali Shopping Center
Good nightlife and scenes are at the Nyali Shopping Center. Not only full of supermarkets, but you also have multiple bars and a dance club to spend a long exhausting night there. You'll see 'mixed couples, lots of dancing and if you are lucky even a pool party at the dance club. Loud African music underlines the local atmosphere here. Right in front of the center, lots of Tuck-Tucks and Bodas are waiting, so no problem to get home.
Wild Water Park
This park is a fun place for the whole family, with lots of slides, activities for the kids fun things to do. Also, it sadly closed during Corona, but we checked it out from the outside and have been sad to miss this adventure.
In General: Apartments
As often, most of the people we know went into more expensive 'safe' hotels, often they have been disappointed by abandoned facilities or unattractive services, but it always depends. We made the experience that they have good Airbnb offers here. Having an Airbnb for around 10 € a night, close to the beach and a tiny kitchen and balcony - we couldn't complain at all and had lots of monkeys visiting us during the day.
Do you want to learn more about Kenya, its cities, and things to explore? Check out other blogs here.
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