Mombasa

Mombasa is East Africa's most historically layered coastal city, Kenya's second-largest urban centre and oldest settlement, a teeming Indian Ocean port where nine centuries of maritime trade have deposited Swahili, Arab, Portuguese, Indian, and British culture in a dense, energetic whole unlike any other city on the coast.

The Old Town of Mombasa, a UNESCO-nominated historic district of carved wooden doors, coral-stone buildings, and narrow lanes, is one of the finest examples of Swahili urban architecture in the world. Fort Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site completed by the Portuguese in 1593, dominates the Old Town waterfront and chronicles the extraordinary succession of powers that fought for control of this strategic port.

Mombasa's beaches extend in both directions from the island. The North Coast, Nyali, Bamburi, and Shanzu, is a 10km strip of beach hotels easily reached via Nyali Bridge. The South Coast, Diani, Tiwi, and Galu, is reached via the Likoni Ferry, a chaotic, colourful crossing that is itself a Mombasa experience.

Mombasa is most naturally used as a gateway, the arrival and departure point for Kenya's coast, with Moi International Airport connecting to Nairobi, Zanzibar, and direct international routes.