Roll slowly with the waves - Basecamp Lamu
We arrive at the isle of Lamu in a faraway archipelago in Kenya. The secret “Zanzibar” of East Africa - a celebrated and hidden Unesco World Heritage Site.
We are met by donkeys in the narrow streets of the old town. Its obviously true – Lamu has no cars.
They take us by water taxi from Lamu’s old Stone Town to nearby Shela Village, where we spend our first night in a white-washed Swahili house. In the evening we walk along the beaches, all alone - with pearl-coloured sand and a backdrop of dunes stretching as far as the eye can see.
Our guide Mohammed have told us about Lamu’s sophisticated old civilisation and prepares us for the Dhow sailing next morning.– a four day voyage to the small island of Kiwaiyu. As the dhow slips gently away from her moorings and the huge sail is unfurled we have time to familiarise ourselves with the elegant 50 ton traditional ship.
Swalihina, Basecamp Lamu, is incredibly smooth for something so huge and she responds easily to the slightest ruffle of a breeze. We drift sublimely on the tide past mangrove forests full of birds, bays with blinding white sandy beaches lush with palms, ancient ruins and undisturbed Bajun villages.
At noon the captain drops anchor in a protected inlet to have lunch on the deserted beach. While the chef prepares a BBQ, we swim in blissfully warm waters, and by lunchtime we have quite an appetite and relish the freshly caught Red Snapper and Lobster – cooked to perfection.
Relaxing seems to be the name of the game, as the hours slip into days. Waking to stunning sunrises and watching flocks of seabirds or dolphins, diving along the coral reefs in the transparent jade waters or fishing snapper for lunch, enjoying sundowners and reclining on the cushion-strewn decks until the light softens and dusk descends. Finally we turn down for the night with nothing but a mosquito net between us and a canopy of a trillion stars – and the feeling of being the first one to have made this trip – the first one to have discovered paradise. …
Price for a day trip (8-17) on the Swahilina from USD 280 per person (5th January-31st March, 6th April-31st May & 15th October - 23rd December, 2010 - min 6 people)
