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Lamu Island
Kenya's oldest living Swahili town — a UNESCO island of dhows, donkeys and coral-stone alleys.
Destination guide
Why Lamu Island
A clear, practical overview of what makes Lamu Island special and how to experience it.
Highlights
What makes it special
- ✓Shela Beach
- ✓Lamu Old Town
- ✓Dhow sailing
- ✓Manda Island
Activities
Things to do
UNESCO World Heritage
Lamu Old Town — inscribed in 2001
Lamu Old Town is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, continuously inhabited for over 700 years. UNESCO listed it for its coral-stone and mangrove-timber architecture, carved wooden doors, inner courtyards and narrow car-free lanes where donkeys and dhows still do the work. Walking it with a local guide is the point — the town is the museum.
Lamu Island · Kenya
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