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Kijani House Hotel

Kijani House is a small, very exclusive and charming hotel overlooking the entrance to the Shela Channel on the island of Lamu. In its large tropical garden and around the two fresh-water swimming pools you will find real peace and relaxation.

The veranda of your spacious en-suite room, furnished with coastal antiques, is the ideal place for planning exciting safaris to experience the fascination of Swahili culture. You can also work up an appetite walking from the gardens and along the 12 km Shela Beach, returning to an exotic selection of seafood, Swahili dishes and a touch of Italian cuisine in the Kijani Restaurant.

One of the few unspoiled spots is Lamu, and it is very likely that it will remain so for years to come as the only practical way to reach this enchanted isle is by aeroplane. In Lamu you find a vibrant society in harmony with its traditions: Lamu people are dubious of the merits of what we term ‘Progress’.

When a telephone line was established in Lamu some years back, one Arab told the proprietor, “Never mind, the elephants on the mainland will soon knock the poles down.” This does in fact periodically occur.

The streets of Lamu are narrow, cool and quiet. They are surprisingly intimate spaces enclosed by massive stone buildings whose thick coral rag walls give the town its distinct colour and texture. It is not a town of landmarks and monuments – the Fort alone stands out. Religious and domestic buildings are difficult to distinguish from one another. Both are simple with few openings and neither has any exterior decoration except for Lamu’s characteristic heavy carved doors.

A Taste of Kijani House

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