Kenya · Kilifi
Where to Stay in Malindi, Kilifi
Malindi is a town of the Kenyan coast on the Indian Ocean, an old Swahili port marked by a pillar left by Vasco da Gama, now a favourite Italian beach resort.
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Where to stay in Malindi
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
In Malindi the choice runs between the old port town and the beach front. The streets around the old port keep the market, the mosque, and the museum within a walk, and staying in town suits anyone here for the old quarter. The warm sea lies close by.
Dhows ride in the bay. Out along the shore, the town gives way to the beach resorts, the coral reefs, and the palm coast toward Watamu. A room by the sea trades the town for the white sand, the warm shallows, and the reefs of the marine park.
South of the town, reef and sand take over. Stay in town for the old port, or by the sea for the beaches. The Swahili coast opens on the Indian Ocean.
About Malindi
Malindi is the old Swahili port of the Kenyan coast.
What is Malindi known for?
On the Indian Ocean north of Mombasa in Kenya, it welcomed the first Portuguese ships to the coast, and it keeps the coral pillar Vasco da Gama raised on the point, the ruined Swahili town of Gede in the forest, the coral reefs of its marine park, and the long palm beaches that draw Italian holidaymakers. The warm ocean laps the sand. Palms lean along the shore.
What are the main landmarks in Malindi?
The Vasco da Gama Pillar is the pride of Malindi. The old coral cross on the point, raised by the Portuguese in fourteen ninety-eight, stands above the sea, the emblem of the town, downtown. A lost town lies in the forest.
The ruined Swahili city of Gede stands among the trees inland, while the coral reefs, the old museum, and the palm beaches mark the country around Malindi.
What is the history of Malindi?
Malindi was a great Swahili port. For centuries it traded gold, ivory, and cloth along the coast, a rival of Mombasa to the south, ruled by its own Swahili sheikhs. Here Vasco da Gama landed.
In fourteen ninety-eight the Portuguese explorer was welcomed at Malindi, took on a pilot for India, and raised a coral pillar on the point that still stands. The old coast fell quiet and rose again. When the trade moved on, Malindi faded, and the Swahili town of Gede in the forest was left to the trees.
The sea brought new life. In our own age the reefs and beaches drew visitors, above all Italians, who made Malindi their coast, and a marine park was set over the reefs, so the town kept its pillar, its ruins, and its beaches. The old pillar still marks the point.
Malindi keeps its Swahili coast on the Indian Ocean.
Where is Malindi?
Malindi lies on the coast of Kenya, on the Indian Ocean north of Mombasa. The town sits on a low coral shore where the Sabaki river runs into the sea, in a warm land of palms and coastal scrub, with the reefs and marine park offshore and the coastal forest of Gede inland. The ocean runs warm and blue.
Palms fringe the white sand.
What is the climate of Malindi?
Heat and humidity define the tropical climate on Malindi's stretch of coast. Warm weather holds all year on the coast, with a long dry season and heavy rains in the monsoon, cooled by sea winds off the ocean. The dry season stays hot.
Monsoon winds bring the rain.
How do you get to Malindi?
Malindi lies on the Kenyan coast north of Mombasa, on the coast road and by air. Flights land from Nairobi and Mombasa, and the coast highway runs up the shore from Mombasa. Boats work the reefs.
Mombasa lies south down the coast.
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Updated August 2026