Activities ... on a day trip.

Shimoni at the tip of the peninsula of the same name is the starting point for snorkeling and diving tours to the fish and coral gardens in the Southeast (→ KWS | Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park), mostly combined with a concluding seafood lunch on Wasini Island. Deep sea fishing is possible from here as well. Shimoni itself has a small commercial harbor, historic slave caves and a tiny museum about the Arab slave trade in East Africa.

These caves, probably also part of the historic slave trail, are hidden in the Shimoni hinterland. Today, the large underground grottos are home for thousands of flapping bats - a perfect Indiana-Jones-scenery and still an absolute insider tip (but one that takes a fair bit of nerve).

Although just a few kilometers away from the ocean, this protected coastal forest has a slightly cooler and more humid climate. Shimba Hills boasts the National Reserve with a hilly landscape, quite some wildlife and the Sheldrick Falls - it can be visited in a day trip (→ KWS | Shimba Hills National Reserve).

The mangrove ecosystem of the Ramisi river delta can be explored on a boat tour, starting in the old smugglers harbor of Bodo, south of Msambweni. You'll discover the biodiversity of this silent coastal world, with birds and crocodiles. A few kilometers to the north, in Gazi village, you can stroll along a "Mangrove Boardwalk", initiated by a local women's group (→ Gazi Women Mangrove Boardwalk). Gazi was once home to the most notorious slave traders far and wide, stopped only in 1895 by British punitive campaigns. The former dungeon can still be seen (photos below).

The famous center of the South Coast invites you to all sort of touristic activities – in case you feel the need for this now and again. There are several shopping centers, banks, restaurants and curio shops around. You may visit the Colobus Monkey Sanctuary (→ Colobus Conservation ) and the sacred forest of Kaya Kinondo - or spend your time on an 18-hole golf course (→ Leisure Golf Club ). Diani has three dive centers, another one is near Shimoni; there is none in Msambweni itself (→ Diving Kenya).

The bustling port city with its legendary "Old Town" is a piece of the exotic Orient in Africa, with the early Portuguese castle (→ National Museums of Kenya - Fort Jesus), Swahili architecture and the famous elephant tusks. Not far away are the spectacularly renatured limestone quarries of a cement factory (→ Haller Park Mombasa).