Where is malindi

The cross on the pillar is the original cross and is made of Lisbon limestone. Malindi Museum on the sea promenade near the jetty has some interesting exhibitions on the history of Malindi. There is also a modern day town centre, where you can find craft shops, restaurants, bars and a night club. Malindi and Watamu Marine Parks were established in ; were the first of their kind in Africa. The marine parks teem with diverse coral kingdoms and varied coloured fish species like Angel, Butterfly, Surgeon and Trigger fishes.

The marine department offers glass bottom rides for a fee for tourists to view the aquatic marvels. Boats can be hired privately for half day or full day excursions. You can also go scuba diving or snorkelling inside these colourful reserves. Malindi Airport is a small airport where international flights do not land, only national ones.

The arrival is therefore with change in Mombasa about km away or Nairobi km. Hire a tuk-tuk three-wheeled taxi : most journeys cost Ksh shillings or motorbike taxi at Ksh Cheaper, greener and even more fun is a bicycle boda boda ride pillion on the cushion over the back wheel but disappears because of motorbike taxi. Normal taxis are the safest and most comfortable transport, and for your safety should be preferred over tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis at night. The fine sandy beaches of Watamu are among the best and most scenic beaches in Kenya.

The main beaches are:. Malindi Town is mostly clogged with traffic, which makes shopping a bit stressful, while in Watamu it's much more relaxed. There is a curio tourist market, close to the pier. On the main market in the old town, all kinds of foodstuffs are available.

I often had to do a double-take to make sure I was in Malindi and not Palermo or Naples. It felt like it could be any beach I've visited in Italy - the only difference being the humidity, palm trees and the salty sweet scent of the Indian Ocean. When I tried to nab an empty beach bed by a large palm tree, a waiter came running over to tell me the spot was always reserved for an Italian couple. It has to be said that it felt very peculiar to be there as a black traveller, even one learning Italian.

There are many subtle ways black tourists are rendered invisible - something that is not unique to Malindi in Africa. And racial politics has reared its head in Malindi, with some coastal communities feeling that Italians get a free pass given how much they own in the town.

There has even been anger at times at the impunity Italians are perceived to enjoy, with many locals believing they are not even investigated if there's crime.

The first Italians to arrive in the town were engineers and scientists, who loved what they found. Word soon spread about Malindi's miles of pristine beaches, abundance of seafood and good-natured inhabitants.

By the s the community began to take shape, with many settling in Malindi and pursuing opportunities in the tourism industry. They opened hotels, restaurants, built beach villas and became economically integral in the town. The town had its heyday in the s and s when tourism boomed and estimates suggest 4, Italians lived in the town and 30, visited annually. But a shadier side to Malindi also emerged with allegations that the underage sex trade was rampant, as was the drugs trade and even whispers of the Italian mafia's presence.

Still the tropical paradise with its hint of noir flourished until a slump began with Italy's financial crash of Then terror attacks by Somali militants started in Kenya - and the kidnapping of a foreign tourist a little further up the coast in by Somali pirates changed things. Many Italians sold up and left, far fewer came to visit.