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Mombasa is Kenya's oldest and second-largest city, a port of about 1.2 million on the Indian Ocean coast, famous for the Portuguese-built Fort Jesus, its Swahili Old Town and the white-sand beaches that line the shore to the north and south. Trading here dates back more than a thousand years, and Arab, Persian, Indian, Portuguese and British influences all left their mark.
On Mombasa Island, the narrow lanes of the Old Town lead past carved wooden doors, balconies and old mosques to Fort Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that now holds a museum. Along Moi Avenue the giant Mombasa Tusks greet visitors, and the food mixes Swahili, Arab and Indian flavours.
Across the bridges, Nyali and Bamburi have resorts, coral reefs and the Mombasa Marine National Park, while Haller Park turns old quarries into a wildlife haven. Diani Beach, Shimba Hills and Wasini Island make easy trips south, and the drier months from December to March are the most popular.
Fort Jesus in Mombasa was built by the Portuguese between 1593 and 1596 to guard the Old Port, to a design by Italian architect Giovanni Battista Cairati. Its massive coral-stone walls now hold a museum of coastal history, and the fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mombasa Old Town, known in Swahili as Mji wa Kale, covers about 72 hectares on the east side of Mombasa Island beside Fort Jesus. Its narrow lanes are lined with carved wooden doors, balconies and old mosques, showing Swahili, Arab, Indian and Portuguese influences.
Mandhry Mosque in Mombasa Old Town was built by Omani settlers in 1570 and is one of the oldest mosques on the Kenyan coast. It is built in the Swahili style with a rounded minaret, and the Mandhry family has looked after it for centuries; visitors should dress modestly.
The Mombasa Tusks are two pairs of giant aluminium elephant tusks that cross above Moi Avenue in the centre of Mombasa. They were put up for the royal visit of the future Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 and have since become one of the best-known symbols of the city and of Kenya's coast.
Nyali Beach lies on the mainland just north of Mombasa Island, across the Nyali Bridge, with long white sands and calm water sheltered by a coral reef. Beachfront hotels line the shore, and the reef is part of the protected Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve.
Bamburi Beach is a long stretch of white sand on the north coast of Mombasa, a few kilometres beyond Nyali, lined with resort hotels, beach bars and water sports. Its reef lies within the Mombasa marine reserve, and Haller Park, the nature park made from old quarries, is close by.
Mombasa Marine National Park protects the coral reefs off the beaches of Nyali and Bamburi and was made a national park in 1987. Glass-bottom boats and snorkelling trips show corals, starfish, sea urchins and reef fish, and it is the most visited of Kenya's marine parks.
Diani Beach lies about 30 kilometres south of Mombasa in Kwale County and runs for some 17 kilometres of white sand edged by palms and coastal forest. Its shallow lagoon and offshore reef are ideal for swimming and snorkelling, and the 16th-century Kongo Mosque stands at its northern tip.
Haller Park in Bamburi, north of Mombasa, was created from the barren quarries of a cement works, which Rene Haller began to replant with trees in the 1970s. Today paths lead through forest and past ponds home to giraffes, hippos, giant tortoises and many birds.
Shimba Hills National Reserve lies about 33 kilometres from Mombasa, a plateau of coastal rainforest, woodland and grassland with views to the sea. It is home to hundreds of elephants and rare plants, and a forest trail leads down to the Sheldrick Falls, a popular walk with a ranger.
Jumba la Mtwana is the ruin of a Swahili trading town by the sea near Mtwapa Creek, north of Mombasa, dating back to the 14th century. Shaded by baobabs, its coral-stone remains include three mosques, a tomb and eight houses, and it has been a national monument since 1982.
Wasini Island lies 75 kilometres south of Mombasa, opposite the village of Shimoni, and has no cars, only sandy paths and coral rock. Boat trips from Shimoni visit the island and the nearby Kisite-Mpunguti marine park, known for dolphins, coral gardens and snorkelling.
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