Malindi

Malindi, a small town on Kenya's coast, was the landing site of Vasco de Gama's fleet in 1498 after he wasn't allowed into the Mombasa harbor. Malindi became the Portuguese base on the East African coast and remained so for almost 100 years. Only after Fort Jesus was completed in Mombasa did the Portuguese leave Malindi.

Malindi is a base for sportfishing and also offers the snorkeling, windsurfing, and other water sports that the other coastal areas do. The Malindi Marine Park has both snorkeling and scuba diving. The northern part of the reef is separated by a deep sea channel, allowing some pelagic fish not usually seen inside Kenya's reef systems to get in. The road leading to the park also has a Snake Park, which might be worth a visit to those interested. Malindi also has some of the biggest waves which the protected Kenyan coast gets, making it the ideal place for body and board surfing.

South of Malindi is Watumu and the incredible Watamu National Marine Park, which is in the protected zone of the Marine National Reserve. Watamu allows absolutely no fishing, so the fish are not afraid of humans. The coral gardens offer every type of tropical marine life imaginable and the water is crystal clear. Glassbottom boats are available and snorkeling is about as perfect as it gets. The overhanging cliff gardens and the "Big Three Caves" at Mida Creek have some giant grouper for those who want to see some of the bigger fish that inhabit Kenya's reefs.

Between Malindi and Watamu are the ruins of Gedi, which are probably some of the better known ruins in Kenya. The fairly large town of Gedi (2500 inhabitants), which existed from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century, was apparently not known to to the Portuguese occupiers in Malindi, a mere 15 kilometers away. It also fails to appear in any Arabic or Swahili manuscripts and seems to have been unknown to them as well. Its desertion is thought to have been caused by a violent tribe called the Galla, who may have occupied Gedi in the eighteenth century. (I have also read that an attack by the northern Oromo in the sixteenth century caused its desertion.) One tomb, called the Dated Tomb, is inscribed with the date 802 AH, meaning A.D. 1399. Gedi's palace, seven mosques, pillar tomb, and other ruins make Gedi a fascinating place to visit.