Watamu Marine National Park

Watamu's coast is a series of white bays enclosed by a coral reef, and the whole stretch has been protected since the 1960s as one of the earliest marine parks in Africa. Inside the lagoon the water is shallow, warm and extraordinarily clear, and glass-bottom boats run out to coral gardens where the fish are so used to people that they crowd the snorkellers. The reef edge drops off for divers, with whale sharks passing in season. Behind the beach lies Mida Creek, a wide tidal inlet of mangroves that fills with waders, where a boardwalk runs out over the water and dhows drift at sunset. Turtles nest on these beaches and a long-running local conservation project runs a rescue centre and pays fishermen for releasing accidentally caught turtles. Add the Arabuko-Sokoke forest inland and it is the most rounded stretch of the Kenyan coast.

History

Watamu Marine National Park and Reserve was established in 1968 together with the Malindi marine park, and it is now part of a biosphere reserve recognised by the United Nations (Wikipedia, Watamu Marine National Park).

Highlights

• The coral gardens - snorkelling in the protected lagoon among tame reef fish.
• Mida Creek - the mangrove inlet, its boardwalk and its birdlife at low tide.
• Turtle conservation - the local rescue and nest protection project.
• Arabuko-Sokoke forest - the large coastal forest just inland, rich in rare birds.

When to go

October to March has the calmest, clearest water for snorkelling and diving; the long rains around April and May are the wettest and many places close. Whale sharks pass through in the early months of the year. Turtle nesting and hatching runs through much of the year with a peak in the warmer months.

Things to know

The lagoon is shallow and snorkelling is tide-dependent, so trips run to the tide table rather than your schedule. Beach vendors and boat touts are persistent along the sand. Coral here has suffered bleaching events like reefs everywhere, so it is good rather than pristine. Rainy-season closures in April and May are real, with some hotels shutting entirely.

Nearby

Malindi and Gede's Swahili ruins are minutes away; Mombasa and Fort Jesus are two hours south.

Key facts