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DIANI BEACH |
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DIANI BEACH ought to fulfil most dreams about the archetypal palm-fringed
beach. The sand is soft and brilliantly white, the sea is crystal-clear
turquoise, the reef is a safe thirty-minute swim or ten-minute boat ride
away and, arching overhead, the coconut palms keep up a perpetual slow
sway as the breeze rustles through the fronds. Competition for space,
however, has begun to seriously mar Diani's paradisiacal qualities, but
the main drawback is the droves of hustlers - the "beach boys" - who had
become such a threatening presence a few years back that the vast
majority of hotel guests virtually never ventured across the boundary
from their guarded hotel gardens onto the public sands. Now that the
hotels have posted security guards ( askaris ), the beach boys have
become more astute and formed themselves into cartels (some worryingly
connected to local politicians), and tourists do, once again, dig
sandcastles and walk along the strand. Another (minor) drawback is that
the beach tends to get covered at high tide, or leaves only a narrow
strip of sand. As elsewhere in Kenya, all the beach is open to the
public; it's only the access routes that are restricted by some hotels.
If you're coming by public transport from Mombasa , first catch a matatu
from Abdel Nasser Road, Jomo Kenyatta Avenue, or outside the GPO on Digo
Road, to Likoni ferry (Ksh5) to make the crossing (free for foot
passengers; Ksh35 for small cars). Once in Likoni, walk up with the
crowd to the well-marked matatu stages on the left side, and catch one
for "Diani" or "Beach" (Ksh30). If there are no direct ones, get one to
Ukunda (Ksh30), and then make a connection down to the beach road
(Ksh20) - you'll find plenty of transport both day and night. Don't walk,
especially if you're burdened with luggage or valuables: the three-kilometre
link road has a bad reputation - hard to tell how well founded - for
muggings. Taxis from Mombasa cost around Ksh2000-2500. You can in theory
fly from Mombasa to Ukunda airstrip, a couple of kilometres west of
Diani post office, though it would be quicker and cheaper to take a
taxi. Coming direct from Nairobi, however, you might consider the plane
trip worthwhile - Airkenya flies three times a week (Ksh6500 each way).
There's an increasingly heavy scattering of proper shops along the
strip, as well as a new post office. The main shopping areas on the
north side are the Bazaar Complex Shopping Centre (1.6km north of the
junction) and Diani Complex Shopping Centre (1.4km). On the south side,
the commerce kicks off with the Agip petrol station (900m) and Diani
Beach Shopping Centre (1km), where vervet monkeys scamper across the
designer makuti . There are more shops and businesses outside Diani Sea
Resort and opposite Diani Sea Lodge .
Around the resort
Enjoying yourself on Diani isn't difficult. You can rent snorkelling
gear (about Ksh250) from just about anywhere, and float out across the
lagoon to the reef . Remember how fiercely the sun is likely to burn and
wear a T-shirt unless you're very brown. You need to be a confident
swimmer: there are no strong currents nor any real danger, but the reef
is 600-1000m away and swimming back on the ebb tide can be tiring.
Alternatively, a trip to the reef at low tide on one of the outrigger
canoes is highly recommended. The crews know all the good (or at least
the more reasonable) spots for snorkelling and it shouldn't cost you
more than Ksh1000 for an hour or three. One of the best areas is
directly opposite Baobab Beach Resort , about 300m out towards the reef,
where there is a cluster of coral heads. The sheltered lagoon behind the
reef is also ideal for windsurfing (Ksh500 per hr).
When you tire of the beach and the sea, or of just lying under the palm
trees, you could rent a bicycle and go off exploring - from about Ksh600
per day. By matatu, Mombasa with its Old Town and shopping possibilities
is an easy enough target for a day out. There's also the eighteen-hole
par 72 golf course opposite the Leisure Lodge (which runs it) on the
north side of the junction.
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