Discovering Diani Beach

Voted Africa’s best beach destination for four consecutive years, Kwale County’s Diani Beach Resort is a picturesque setting of pearl white sand blending into the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. This beautiful beach that stretches 10 km from Kongo Mosque to the north to Galu beach to the south, is located 19 miles south of the coastal town of Mombasa. Its unblemished white sand expanse combined with the tranquility and hospitality here brings out an exclusive African beach holiday experience.   

Sky Diving at Diani /Photo: Susan Nyamawi

This unique and diverse resort is a beehive of activities from dawn to dusk, with local and foreign tourists flocking to Diani making this beach a lively place to visit. The Diani beach curio businesses are a unique feature here, as visitor buy themselves sculpture souvenirs or even beautiful African attire ranging from kikois, to batik shirts, Maasai shukas, safari chapeaus, t-shirts, bracelets among other artifacts. Many sporting events take place in Diani beach including sky diving, kite surfing, jet skis, beach volleyball, swimming, camel riding among others. With the famous sky diving, one gets a memorable chance to experience the thrills of free fall and a magnificent canopy flight over the coastline of Diani at a  height of 12,000 feet or 3,600 meters.

Apart from these activities, one can take a trip to see the protected colobus monkeys of Diani, tour the nearby sacred Kaya forests or opt to visit the historical Kongo Mosque. You can even organize a day trip to the neighboring Shimba Hills National Reserve to view a variety of wildlife including elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, sable antelopes, and water bucks. At the same time you can decide to go further south to the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve for snorkeling, dolphin and turtle sighting, and dhow tours to Wasini and Funzi islands.

Accommodation in Diani is best with most of the hotels and lodges spread along the Diani beach road, beautifully hidden behind a line of forest. In these beach hotels visitors enjoy well cooked African cuisine as they get entertained by live band performances especially during lunch hours and dinner times.

Travelling to Diani is either by plane from Nairobi Wilson Airport directly to Ukunda airstrip. One can also take a plane from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi to Moi Airport in Mombasa and from there hire a cab from various tour companies, or even board public means of transport (matatu) to Diani. However when you set your foot on the pearl sand of Diani Beach keep in mind one very important thing! High standards of environmental management and conservation are observed here, hence littering is a taboo.

Litter bins along Diani Beach