Diani Beach: A Toast to Kenya's Most Celebrated Beach Resort!

Kenya has two beach-safari zones commonly reffered to as the North-Coast and South-Coast circuits. The circuits are dotted with splendid beaches and old and new urban settlements and villages inhabited by friendly and welcoming people. One of the best known hotspots on the Southern Circuit is Diani Beach.   

Diani Beach lies 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Mombasa off Ukunda Township. It is a stunning beach that offers visitors no chance to doubt its high pedigree. You learn to appreciate its high status the moment you come face to face with its powdery snow-white sands, its blue ocean waters, thick, green foliage outlines. Its seemingly endlessness length and wide breadth is covered in the sparkling sands that stretch as far as the eye can see.

On some portions of the beach, the deep soft sands feel like they want to swallow you whole. For much of the day, the sun exerts its presence boldly and the sea looks subdued. However, from late afternoon, waves of the deep blue waters of the Indian Ocean wash up to the shore, the back currents slowing as the sun fades away. Suddenly the cool sea air seizes its chance to blow in and smother the tropical heat and humidity.This sets the stage for obliging night weather that locals and visitors exploit to the fullest.   

Diani’s charm, beauty and splendour have earned it a place among the world’s popular beach resorts. It has been crowned Africa’s leading beach destination at the World Tourism Awards many a time - five times in a row between 2014 and 2019! That makes it Kenya’s most celebrated beach safari resort! Nonetheless, the jury is still out on whether Diani is Kenya's best coastal beach!     

Things to Do in Diani

Sand bathing and swimming are what most tourists do here. Long walks along the beach are popular too. Others just frolic in the beauty that surrounds them.

Diani Beach offers many things to do for its more adventurous visitors. These include scuba diving, kite surfing, jet skiing; sky diving, paddle boarding, standup paddling, kayaking, ski jumping and flyboarding. The sunny weather makes these possible all year round. Local training schools located in the beach area help uninitiated visitors learn the ropes in hours!

Sailing on boats is popular too. One can ride glass-bottom boats to watch the sea life below. If water sports are not your thing, you can ride a camel along the beach, jog or play ball games.

Hotels in Diani

If the beach is the crown that defines Diani, its splendid hotels, cottages and restaurants are the jewels in the crown. Some of Kenya’s best hotels and restaurants are found here. There is room for every visitor's pocket and preference. Grass-thatched white-chalk painted seaside hotels, lodges and cottages neighbour exclusive villas, boutique and budget hotels as well as homestays. Seafood and other kinds of restaurants abound too and with them comes a vibrant food culture.

Away from the Beach

For time off the beach, one may visit wildlife parks in the coastal region, or beyond. Shimba Hills National Reserve is only 40 kilometres away near Kwale Town,  the headquarters of Kwale County. The forested wildlife sanctuary has large herds of elephant antelopes, waterbuck, klipspringer, impala, leopard, buffalo and other mammals. It is the game reserve that holds the highest number of elephants per mile in Kenya. However, the wildlife is, for the most part, not in plain sight as in the savannah plains and grasslands of other parks and reserves. A raised walkway extends into the forest to enable better viewing of wildlife and the forest habitat. Hiking with local guides is popular with tourists. 

Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary , which borders the reserve, offers even better viewing of elephants and other mammals. Its coastal forests interspersed with plains, rocky outcrops and meandering rivers make beautiful tropical scenery.

You can also easily reach Kenya’s largest wildlife park, Tsavo, from Diani. It is located along the road to Nairobi from Mombasa. The ‘Big Five’ of lion, elephant, buffalo rhino and leopard make up some of its many attractions!

Ukunda airstrip offers a versatile launch pad into the interior of Kenya. It is barely two kilometres away from the beach. You may charter a flight to any big game park and wildlife sanctuary in Kenya, including the Masaai Mara and Amboseli, from Diani. You may as well choose to use road or rail - or fly commercial to Nairobi - and then drive to any park you may desire.

Further on to the south are the Shimoni Caves that hold a sad past. Slave traders used them to hold newly captured natives for months before loading them onto ocean vessels for a life of cruelty abroad.

Wasini Island located off Shimoni is one of the most exquisite tourist islands on the East African Coast. It is rich in culture and tradition. Further on to the south off Msambweni Beach is Chale Island, a popular destination for visitors looking for an exclusive beach safari experience.

Visits, including cycling tours, to villages around Diani provide another welcome alternative to the beach activities and idling !

How to Get to Diani

You can each Diani by road from any part of Kenya. From Nairobi, drive or take a train or bus to Mombasa, cross the Likoni channel and travel down to Ukunda. The beach stands between the town and the ocean.

The road journey to Mombasa from Nairobi takes about eight hours. An additional hour is spent crossing the sea by ferry at Likoni and driving down to Ukunda. However, you could also fly to Ukunda from Nairobi in just over one hour. The train journey to Mombasa lasts five-and-a-half hours on the express train or six hours on the inter-county one. It is a one-of-a-kind journey that features an unpaid free ‘on transit’ entry into Tsavo National Park!

Have you ever been to Diani? If so what was your experience? Kindly share your experience with your fellow travel enthusiasts here. If not, what more would you like us to inform you about Diani?