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TIWI BEACH |
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On the coast south of Likoni, the first real magnet is TIWI BEACH .
Popular among budget travellers having a bit of a splurge, Tiwi rates as
genuine tropical paradise material and attracts lots of Anglo-Kenyan
families down from Nairobi. The reef lies just offshore, and there are
good snorkelling opportunities at high tide, especially at the northern
end. Beach hustlers and all the attendant hassles have mostly yet to
arrive, especially in the northern section (fronted by Sand Island,
Capricho and Maweni ). With the exception of the large new Travellers
Tiwi Beach Hotel at its southern end, Tiwi is still cottage territory,
with nearly a dozen plots vying with each other for business. The only
restaurants as yet are at Travellers Tiwi Beach Hotel, Tiwi Villas and
Twiga Lodge , the latter with the best bar. The main drawbacks (some
might say its advantages) are the lack of bars, restaurants and
nightlife, and its isolation from the rest of the coast. More serious
are nagging concerns about security if you're walking anywhere: don't
take any valuables.
There are two roads down to the beach from the main South Coast highway.
The first, signposted for Sand Island, Capricho and Maweni , is a narrow
sandy track some 17km from the Likoni ferry; the second, about 1.5km
further south, has a bigger clump of signboards and is much wider, and
more reliable for driving in rain. Using either road, you're strongly
advised not to walk, certainly if you've got all your luggage with you:
these access roads through the cashews have seen many panga (machete)-point
robberies. Waiting for a ride won't be a huge problem as there's a
fairly frequent taxi service (it should cost Ksh200-300), and most
places will happily pick you up for free from the main road if you call
ahead. Taxis from Mombasa cost about Ksh1600.
In the dry season, you can walk to the end of Tiwi Beach and wade across
the Mwachema River to Diani Beach and the strange Kongo Mosque, right
next to the Indian Ocean Beach Club . But again, there have been
incidents of robbery down here, and you are not advised to go alone,
certainly not with any valuables.
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