Fort Jesus – This was a Portugese fort build by the Portuguese to protect their interests in East Africa. It is a fine example of the Portugese military architecture. It was turned in to a prison when Kenya became a British pretoctorate. After 1958 it was declared a national monument and later a museum. It houses artifacts from the coastal historical sites and the shipwreck of the San Antoni de Tana which sank off Fort Jesus 1967.
Lamu is the oldest and best-preserved of the Swahili settlements in East Africa and a centre for study for the Swahili culture. It was once a thriving port and after wars with neighboring island kingdoms it was finally blockaded. Lamu is a living monument in its part. There are the old houses showing the art and architectural skills of the Swahili people in the town. Majority of the people here are Muslims and Lamu proudly hosts the important Maulid Muslim Festival (a festival in the celebration of the birth of Mohamed) which attracts pilgrims from all over Africa. The famous Kiunga Marine National Reserve is situated in Lamu.Malindi It is one of the oldest settlements of Kenya’s coast, dating back to the 13th Century where explorer Vas Co Da Gama first set foot in East Africa. In 1930, Malindi achieved fame as the preferred fishing and drinking haunt of Ernest Hemmingways who fished for the big game fish off the coast. Apart from having attractive tourist resorts today, many big game fishing competitions are held here and attract anglers from all over the world who come to battle with the sea giants such as reef shark and sail fish.
There is a prime diving site directly opposite the Malindi and Watamu National Marine Park, Africa’s first marine park and one of world last great natural marine reserve. The town boasts of a number of sites such as the Juma Mosque, Portugese monument to Prince Henry the navigator, pillar tombs, Vasco Da Gama Pillar, a reptile park, falconry centre, Malindi Golf and Country Club, wind-surfing, deep-sea fishing and scuba diving schools.
