Mombasa

The coral island of Mombasa

The waters below team with marine life while up above a huge diversity of birdlike occupies the mangrove forests or overhanging cliffs. The beaches of Kenya have become one of the world's great playgrounds, with plenty of opportunities for water sports or simply sunbathing. The coral island of Mombasa, which measures just over 14 sq km -less than five square miles -is a busy, frenetic place, packed with a variety of things to see and do, with many of the sights clustered around Mwembe Tayari, Mombasa's old market place, now a bus station. Here is the war memorial built to honour the Kenyans who died in the First World War. Nearby is a mosque and further on along Mwembe Tayari Road is a Hindu Temple. Continue along this road and you come to Mombasa's central railway station, built in 1932. It is from here you can catch the overnight train to Nairobi. This railway was nick-named 'The Lunatic Line' at the time of its inception. Dinner and breakfast is provided on the train and a bar service is available. Tourists, however, usually make the journey between the coast and the Kenyan capital by plane.

Mombasa's biggest market is the Makupa Market off Mwembe Tayari, a colourful place featuring a wide range of produce that is well worth a visit. Mombasa Island is a good place pick up souvenirs, especially cheap fabrics, like 'kanga' wraparounds. Also it's well worth calling in at the Akamba Handicraft Industry Centre. For a novel shopping expedition why not board a dhow for a cruise down Tudor Creek to visit a floating market? Dhow trips also cruise past Fort Jesus and the Old Town, with visitors welcomed on board with cocktails. A visit to the -16th century; Fort Jesus in the Old Town is a "must". The Portuguese bastion, the oldest European fortification in Africa, was built as a huge pentagon so that assailants came under crossfire from all sides. It is surrounded by; a 40 foot deep moat. It contains a national museum that houses well- preserved artifacts and relics, some of which date back more than 300 years, including relics of the 17th century Portuguese ship, Santa Antonio de Tanna. A 'Son et Lumiere' presentation (Sound and Light), portrays the history of the East African coast and the Fort itself. At the end of their excursion, visitors can enjoy; a chilled glass of lime juice on the battlements.

The ramparts slope down to the old slave harbour, from which spices as well as slaves were shipped. From the fort you can enter the Old Town, where the narrow lanes are lined with traditional Arab wooden-balconied houses. Here are more than 20 mosques, the oldest of which is the Mandhry Mosque, founded in 1570. Other impressive religious buildings are the Jain Temple, with dome topped by a spire of gold and doors of solid silver, and the Shiva Temple, guarded by statues of lions and the Hindu God Ganesh, with its elephant head.

There is also an Anglican Cathedral, while Mombasa Golf Club, with its nine hole course, provides further evidence of the British occupation. Mombasa Island is linked to the mainland in the west by the Makupa Causeway, to the north coast by the Nyali Bridge and to the south coast by the Likoni Ferry.