Diani Beach
white coral sand, warm reef shallows and colobus monkeys overhead
About Diani Beach
Diani runs along Kenya's south coast below Mombasa, a long line of fine white sand facing a coral reef that tames the Indian Ocean into calm, turquoise shallows. Coastal forest still grows right up to the road behind the beach, and the Digo people protect patches of it as kaya, sacred groves where their ancestral villages once stood and where elders still hold ceremonies.
At low tide you can wade out to rock pools between the reef and the shore; at high tide the swimming is easy and warm. Kitesurfers ride the steady trade winds, snorkellers and divers head south to Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park for dolphins, turtles and coral, and from about July to October humpback whales pass offshore. Watch Angolan colobus monkeys cross the road on rope bridges built for them, and sail a dhow out at sunset.
Diani has its own airstrip at Ukunda with direct flights from Nairobi, and it is an easy road transfer from Mombasa. December to March brings hot, bright days; July to October is cooler, breezy and dry. Avoid the heaviest rains in April and May. It is the natural place to land after a safari, whether you drive down from Tsavo, ride the train to Mombasa, or fly from Wilson Airport straight after the Mara.
Where it is
Safaris through Diani Beach
8 days
8 Days Amboseli, Tsavo & Diani Beach Safari
From elephant country and Tsavo's red earth to Kenya's Indian Ocean coast
12 days
12 Days Laikipia, Maasai Mara & Diani Honeymoon Safari
Three nights in Laikipia, three in the Mara and four at Diani, planned for two