Malindi

Backtracking from Turtle Bay , and passing Gede, the main road is reached and brings you to Malindi 15 km distant. The town's history is reputed to go back a thousand years but it can only be reliable dated to the 13 th century by Arabic records and dated pottery shards. Many hotels serve the town whose main beach sweeps for 7 km round Malindi Bay. The long white sand beach to the south of the town is Silversands, once only occupied by private villas but now hosting a panorama of small, mostly Italian owned hotels. A casino, night clubs, fascinating ancient mosques, a colourful market, a nine hole golf course and, of course, the renowned Malindi Marine National Park all add to the resort's many attraction. So does the fish market and fishing club from which stalwarts from all over the world set forth in search of giants of the sea. Kenya holds several world records for big game fish and it was here that Hemingway lingered in the 30's to enjoy his favourite sport. All fishing within the Malindi marine National Park is forbidden. So is the extraction of shells, star fish and coral. It is the coral gardens in the middle of the park, seen by skin diving, snorkeling or peering through the hull of a glass bottomed boat, which is the fascination. Technicoloured fish of various sizes and impossible shapes swim in a dazzling array. Flutemouths, thornheads, halfbeaks, zebra and parrot fish, hawkfishes, lizard fishes, trigger fishes, porcupines fish, puffers and hundreds of others bejewel the reef. Octopus pulse away in fear, rays wriggle to conceal themselves under coat of sand; these are many more marvels live in abundance and safety within the Park's boundaries. On the north side of Malindi is an extensive salt pan system for evaporating sea water for salt; an eroded wasteland of sandstone cliffs and precipices, near Marafa, know as Hell's Kitchen and a small Arabian Night's town called Mambrui complete with its Islamic and Chinese relics. And beyond that Ngomeni, a small village and harbour at the entrance to Formosa Bay . This great bay sweeps in an expansive ark encompassing the wide delta of Kenya 's biggest river, the Tana. Near Ngomeni, and set on piles in the shallow waters of Bay is a rocket launching site where weather satellites are launched from time to time. All the coast line from Mambrui to Lamu is undeveloped, in tourist terms, although there are wonderful beaches, coves and seascapes. <Next Page>