The top and well known hotels in lamu are
Kijani House Hotel, Lamu
Kipungani Bay Lamu, Lamu
Peponi Hotel, Lamu
Kipepeo Guest House,
Kizingo, Lamu
Baytil Ajaib, Lamu
Jannat House, Lamu
Lamu Palace
shelaroyalhouse
Flights from nairobi and mombasa
airkenya.com safarilink-kenya.com fly540.com
GiffGaff
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Kenya Visa Information
All incoming visitors to Kenya (except East African Citizens) will now require a visa, irrespective of nationality. Citizens of the following countries need to have a visa prior to arrival in Kenya: Afghanistan, Somali, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Nigeria, Yemen, Cameroon, Pakistan, North Korea, Stateless Persons, Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Senegal
Entry visa costs £30(single-entry); £60 (multiple-entry). Transit visas cost £10.
Note: If the application is referred to Immigration in Nairobi, an additional £7 will be payable.
Single-entry visa is valid for up to three months from date of issue; Multiple-entry is valid for up to 12 months from date of issue. Renewals (up to six months) or extensions can be made at Immigration in Nyayo House, Uhuru Highway, Nairobi or at Kisumu and Mombasa. The period of stay in Kenya can be given at the port of entry (maximum three months). Multiple-entry visas may only be issued to nationals of the United Kingdom.
Processing of a visa can take three (applying in person) or five (postal applications) working days. If the visa has to be referred to Nairobi it will take at least eight weeks.
Visa requirements often change. We advise you to check with your local Kenyan Embassy or Consulate for the latest visa requirements.
more info here
http://www.fortjesus.com/
Entry visa costs £30(single-entry); £60 (multiple-entry). Transit visas cost £10.
Note: If the application is referred to Immigration in Nairobi, an additional £7 will be payable.
Single-entry visa is valid for up to three months from date of issue; Multiple-entry is valid for up to 12 months from date of issue. Renewals (up to six months) or extensions can be made at Immigration in Nyayo House, Uhuru Highway, Nairobi or at Kisumu and Mombasa. The period of stay in Kenya can be given at the port of entry (maximum three months). Multiple-entry visas may only be issued to nationals of the United Kingdom.
Processing of a visa can take three (applying in person) or five (postal applications) working days. If the visa has to be referred to Nairobi it will take at least eight weeks.
Visa requirements often change. We advise you to check with your local Kenyan Embassy or Consulate for the latest visa requirements.
more info here
http://www.fortjesus.com/
Lamu Cultural Festival
Lamu Cultural Festival
Many of the world’s destinations loudly boast an opportunity for the traveller to “enter another world”. Off the shores of Northern Kenya, the island of Lamu offers this experience in its purest form.
Arrival at Lamu is something of an experience itself. Most travellers arrive by air, soaring low across the rich blue waters of this tropical archipelago to land on the strip of Manda Island- Lamu’s closest neighbour.
The streets of Lamu are never much more than eight feet wide. This means that there are few vehicles to be found here. The traditional Islamic dress in Lamu remains the kanzu (robe) and kofia (embroidered hat) for men and full length bui bui for women, both ideal for staying cool in the heat.
In Lamu, everybody walks, or rides a donkey. These creatures are a ubiquitous symbol of Lamu. They spend their days wandering among the narrow streets, or working on the seafront, ferrying cargo to and from arriving dhows.
Lamu’s Swahili culture was distilled by the local Bajun people. The Bajun are an indigenous tribal group, centred around the Lamu archipelago, whose origins and history have become blurred with the Swahili to the extent that one of their sub-clans, the Shiradhi claim to be direct descendants of Shirazi Arabs. Their language was the genesis of Kiamu, a Swahili dialect that is the true language of Lamu.
There is an excellent Museum in Lamu town with good exhibits on Swahili culture in general and Lamu culture in particular. The labyrinthine streets of Lamu town itself are a historical attraction in themselves.
These narrow streets are all built upwards along a gentle slope, letting the rains wash the town clean. The Old Town was once declared a World Heritage site, and exploring the town on foot is a wonderful way to soak up the atmosphere of the living, breathing history of Lamu.
Each year, Lamu comes to life during the annual Lamu Cultural Festival. Several competitions and races are staged during this week long festival. These events are designed to each encourage local skills or practices that are central to Lamu life.
These include traditional Swahili poetry, Henna painting, Bao competition... Bao is probably the oldest known game in human history, with archaeological evidence suggesting that the game has been played throughout Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years.
In order to preserve and encourage the art of dhow sailing, now threatened by increasing availability of engines and prefabricated boats, a dhow race is also held. The town’s finest dhows are selected to compete, and race under sail through a complicated series of buoys, combining speed with elaborate tacking and maneuvering skill.
Other events include swimming, and at times a challenging cross country race along the waterfront, all the way to Shela village and back- all in the physically draining heat of the day.
The real highlight of every festival involves the town’s most endearing symbol- the donkey race. Local donkey jockeys literally spend the entire year honing their riding skills for this event, and the winning rider wears his title with great pride.
Being a winning donkey jockey requires a specific set of skills. As with most such races, small physical stature is helpful, but keeping a stubborn donkey moving and on course requires a definite talent.
Lamu Cultural Festival is a celebration of both the past and the future, and the beliefs and traditions that are the heart and soul of this community. Most visitors to the island fall in love with this relaxed and peaceful lifestyle, and visiting during the Lamu Cultural Festival is a chance to experience Lamu life at its most exuberant and joyous.
This year’s event takes place from 28th to 30th November, 2008
magicalkenya
Many of the world’s destinations loudly boast an opportunity for the traveller to “enter another world”. Off the shores of Northern Kenya, the island of Lamu offers this experience in its purest form.
Arrival at Lamu is something of an experience itself. Most travellers arrive by air, soaring low across the rich blue waters of this tropical archipelago to land on the strip of Manda Island- Lamu’s closest neighbour.
The streets of Lamu are never much more than eight feet wide. This means that there are few vehicles to be found here. The traditional Islamic dress in Lamu remains the kanzu (robe) and kofia (embroidered hat) for men and full length bui bui for women, both ideal for staying cool in the heat.
In Lamu, everybody walks, or rides a donkey. These creatures are a ubiquitous symbol of Lamu. They spend their days wandering among the narrow streets, or working on the seafront, ferrying cargo to and from arriving dhows.
Lamu’s Swahili culture was distilled by the local Bajun people. The Bajun are an indigenous tribal group, centred around the Lamu archipelago, whose origins and history have become blurred with the Swahili to the extent that one of their sub-clans, the Shiradhi claim to be direct descendants of Shirazi Arabs. Their language was the genesis of Kiamu, a Swahili dialect that is the true language of Lamu.
There is an excellent Museum in Lamu town with good exhibits on Swahili culture in general and Lamu culture in particular. The labyrinthine streets of Lamu town itself are a historical attraction in themselves.
These narrow streets are all built upwards along a gentle slope, letting the rains wash the town clean. The Old Town was once declared a World Heritage site, and exploring the town on foot is a wonderful way to soak up the atmosphere of the living, breathing history of Lamu.
Each year, Lamu comes to life during the annual Lamu Cultural Festival. Several competitions and races are staged during this week long festival. These events are designed to each encourage local skills or practices that are central to Lamu life.
These include traditional Swahili poetry, Henna painting, Bao competition... Bao is probably the oldest known game in human history, with archaeological evidence suggesting that the game has been played throughout Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years.
In order to preserve and encourage the art of dhow sailing, now threatened by increasing availability of engines and prefabricated boats, a dhow race is also held. The town’s finest dhows are selected to compete, and race under sail through a complicated series of buoys, combining speed with elaborate tacking and maneuvering skill.
Other events include swimming, and at times a challenging cross country race along the waterfront, all the way to Shela village and back- all in the physically draining heat of the day.
The real highlight of every festival involves the town’s most endearing symbol- the donkey race. Local donkey jockeys literally spend the entire year honing their riding skills for this event, and the winning rider wears his title with great pride.
Being a winning donkey jockey requires a specific set of skills. As with most such races, small physical stature is helpful, but keeping a stubborn donkey moving and on course requires a definite talent.
Lamu Cultural Festival is a celebration of both the past and the future, and the beliefs and traditions that are the heart and soul of this community. Most visitors to the island fall in love with this relaxed and peaceful lifestyle, and visiting during the Lamu Cultural Festival is a chance to experience Lamu life at its most exuberant and joyous.
This year’s event takes place from 28th to 30th November, 2008
magicalkenya
Kenya's hottest holiday isle | Africa - Times Online
Kenya's hottest holiday isle | Africa - Times Online
Apart from a tiny ambulance and a police car, there are no vehicles on Lamu - the town's alleys are too narrow for traffic. Locals and visitors alike, the latter include Princess Caroline of Monaco, Mick Jagger et al who have fallen under the island's spell, either have to walk, hire a donkey or hail a passing dhow.
Borne by the trade winds, merchants, sultans, slaves and adventurers have washed up on the little Indian Ocean island, once the fiefdom of the Sultans of Oman and Zanzibar and a wealthy trading port in its 18th-century heyday.
In the 21st century, well-heeled Western tourists are following in their wake, lured by its laidback charm, golden beaches and the seduction of the old Swahili stone town with its crumbling mansions and secret courtyards. The sheer tropical languor seeps into your bones as soon as you arrive at the tiny airport. The island is Islamic and highly traditional, but less edgy than Zanzibar and with less hassle than in Mombasa.
Lamu is usually tacked on to safari holidays on the mainland; it deserves to be a destination in its own right.
Apart from a tiny ambulance and a police car, there are no vehicles on Lamu - the town's alleys are too narrow for traffic. Locals and visitors alike, the latter include Princess Caroline of Monaco, Mick Jagger et al who have fallen under the island's spell, either have to walk, hire a donkey or hail a passing dhow.
Borne by the trade winds, merchants, sultans, slaves and adventurers have washed up on the little Indian Ocean island, once the fiefdom of the Sultans of Oman and Zanzibar and a wealthy trading port in its 18th-century heyday.
In the 21st century, well-heeled Western tourists are following in their wake, lured by its laidback charm, golden beaches and the seduction of the old Swahili stone town with its crumbling mansions and secret courtyards. The sheer tropical languor seeps into your bones as soon as you arrive at the tiny airport. The island is Islamic and highly traditional, but less edgy than Zanzibar and with less hassle than in Mombasa.
Lamu is usually tacked on to safari holidays on the mainland; it deserves to be a destination in its own right.
Lamu town in Kenya coast
Lamu Old Town is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, retaining its traditional functions. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms enriched by such features as inner courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors. Lamu has hosted major Muslim religious festivals since the 19th century, and has become a significant centre for the study of Islamic and Swahili cultures.
Lamu town is also the headquarters of Lamu District and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Lamu town is also the headquarters of Lamu District and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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