Malaika Beach Villas - Resort in Watamu, Kenya

+254 796 035766 | info@malaikabeachvillas.com

Discover Robinson Island and She Shale

Hi there! Hope everything is going well for you. For the daily episode of our virtual tour, we let you discover the island of Robinson Island and She Shale.

To discover the island of Robinson implies many other experiences in the meanwhile. Being an hour and a half away from Malindi, the departure is in the early morning. On the way, it will be possible to see pink flamingos and hippos. 
Sunny morning, fresh sky, and sounds of Africa in the surrounding: this is the situation you leave with. Along the way we will meet spectacular expanses of agave, baobabs and palms; moreover, we cross Sabaki river, the longest in Kenya (390 km).

Then we will stop to allow you taking some pictures with the giant hippos that populate the banks of the river and dive into the watercourse.
Shortly after we meet other animals: pink flamingos. Getting out of the car we go up in a pirogue and, after passing a small mangrove forest, we reach the island of Robinson. The name of the island is exotic as well as the atmosphere you breathe. The boat belongs to Karonte, a nice character that will cheer our short crossing with Italian songs.

Once on the island, we can sunbathe before heading to the characteristic restaurant made with mangroves where we can enjoy Robinson’s famous red crabsA small “siesta” after lunch is a Must and then we will return to the village. Along the way, there is another famous attraction: She Shale. It is the golden beach where it is possible to admire the pyrite flakes that colour the sand like so many fragments of gold. It is strongly suggested to visit it! This area is very aimed to be visited by the Kyte surf lovers. 
Regarding this, Malaika Beach Resort staff is pleased to help you finding someone who gives you some Kyte surf lessons!
Please check the other excursions and don’t lose the opportunity of living the real Africa!

We hope you enjoyed this step of our “virtual tour“!
We also love to tell you that from August the first we will be able to re-open our resort. Stay tuned to visit our country deeply following our Facebook and Instagram page and, if you have any question, feel free to reach us from our contact page.

The Blu Safari

When you talk about Africa, one of the things that came to mind at first are its colours.
For the daily episode of our virtual blog, we want to bring you some Blu…

The Blu Safari is an all-day-long excursion in a glass-bottomed boat and consists of a boat trip to admire the depths of the coral reef and spot dolphins in the open sea.
At 13 there will be a stop on the small island formed by a game of tides where you can have delicious grilled fish with barbecue in the water.

The Malindi and Watamu National Marine Reserve is the oldest marine reserve in Africa established in 1979 to protect 213 square kilometres of coast, coral reefs and open sea, from Mida Creek to Malindi.
The protected area also includes the small National Marine Park of Malindi and the National Marine Park of Watamu, which are among the areas of Kenya most suitable for snorkelling and diving, thanks to over 300 registered species of reef fish and a rich variety of reproduction of the embricata and green turtles, besides having been sighted also liutu tortoises and turtle bastard olive-trees.
The reserve of Malindi or Watamu is the point of departure to start the boat trip.

The stop for snorkelling is right before reaching the Sardegna 2 Atoll and the Island of Love visible only in case of low tide. The peculiarity is that you really see the formation of the island. Here, you can sunbathe lying on the very white coral sand, refreshing yourself with shallow and clear water.

Blu safari is for everyone: adults and children. Children will be enchanted by the infinite species among which there is the pufferfish. It’s funny behave will amaze you: it becomes puffier when going out of the water because when it is inside its natural environment it has a regular fish size.
You will never forget the colours of that day, of that sea, of that fishes.

For the day after Malaika Resort offers you many others excursions: experience Africa with us and don’t lose any of our suggestions!

We hope you enjoyed this step of our “virtual tour“!
We also love to tell you that from August the first we will be able to re-open our resort. Stay tuned to visit our country deeply following our Facebook and Instagram page and, if you have any question, feel free to reach us from our contact page.

Tsavo East National Park

Here we are for our third episode of our Virtual Tour! Today we want to amaze you with the tale of Tsavo East National Park, a magical place where nature is still the ruling force and human must be careful and respectful.

If there is a country in the world that boasts all God’s creations enclosed in its boundaries then Kenya is that country: diverse sceneries, ancient granitic hills, desert, coral reefs, wildlife, history and different cultures.

Each day offers you a new experience! Wildlife splendour ranges from the famous Big five of Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalos to the aquatic attractions like dolphins, hippos, crocodiles…all awaiting you.

There you can encounter the wild animals in their majestic natural settings.

The excursions offered are many and one of the most amazing experience is doubtless the safari in the Tsavo East National Park.

The Park provides undeveloped wilderness homes to vast numbers of animals.

It is considered one of the world’s biodiversity strongholds, and its popularity is mostly due to the vast amounts of the diverse wildlife that can be seen, including lion, cape buffalo, maltitudes of elephants, cheetah, hippo, species of antelopes, leopard, hyena.

Moreover, 500 bird species have been recorded in the area, including ostriches, kestrels, buzzards, starlings, weaver birds, kingfishers, hornbills, secretary birds and herons.

Covering an area of about 13,747 square kilometres, Tsavo East National Park indeed is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya.

If you visit Kenya you cannot lose a Safari here.

It takes only 2 hours by car to reach the park from our resort. There is a paved road that is not something to be taken for granted in Kenya. Along the way you start enjoying the wonderful surrounding so that your safari starts before reaching the park.

You can choose between two options: you can spend one day leaving early in the morning and coming back in the evening, or you can stay one or even two night sleeping inside the savannah of the park.

For this latter option, the range of selection is from the cheapest to the most luxurious choice.

The cheapest one implies the adventure of sleeping in. Most people choose it not only for the price but even because it represents a unique experience.

If you like to sleep in a more comfortable situation, inside the park there are many lodges where you can sleep surrounded by the wildlife enjoying at the same time the amenities of a luxurious hotel.

The place where you will sleep does not matter very much: the most the recommended thing is to spend the night inside the park as you will live a once in a lifetime experience: the one to see the Savannah and its inhabitants at dawn.

We hope that you have enjoyed this third episode of our virtual tour, stay tuned to visit our country deeply following our Facebook and Instagram page and, if you have any question, feel free to reach us from our contact page.

Malindi and Watamu, Discover Kenya’s Soul

For the second step of our Virtual Tour, we will bring you to Malindi and Watamu, two of the closest city to our resort.
Those are the places that, in our opinion, you MUST visit when you’ll be able to visit us!

Malindi

Malindi is the Malaika closest city.
It’s very colourful and full of fruit stands, they also have other articles such as typical clothes and shoes.
It is a city full of tuk-tuk and scooters that is why you can be stuck in a traffic jam.
It is very typical and reflects the real soul of Africa even if it is not so small.

One of the main attraction that can be visited is the Vasco da Gama monument.
The over 500yr old Vasco Da Gama monument is at the heart of Malindi.
It is managed by the National Museums of Kenya; the site is easily accessible.
Some curiosities about the Vasco da Gama Pillar are that it is topped by a cross made of Lisbon stone.
Moreover, it was rebuilt in the 16th Century, after it was brought down.

On December 3 each year, hundreds of Catholic faithful visit the Portuguese Chapel to commemorate the feast day of St Francis Xavier.
Malindi is also a business city, you can see many banks, other than shops.
The business is in the hands of Indian people while tourism is mainly Italian.
What is true about Malindi is that it has a double face: it is an important business centre but it reflects the African essence keeping all the traditions alive.
This is possible thank to the most uncontaminated part of the city that is even the poorest.
There, you can encounter people cooking outside their shacks on wooden boards.

The local population survives but in difficult living conditions.
Nonetheless, you can meet children playing happily in the streets, this will make you feel alive and you will realize how lucky you are.
The difference between Malindi and Nairobi is that the population in Africa is divided into tribes.

The tribes living in Nairobi are superior.
People in Nairobi are graduated, more acculturated and have better works.
In Malindi people live in simple conditions.

Watamu

The other city close to Malaika in Watamu which is a purely touristic town.
There are not offices or banks as in Malindi.
It is more likely to be considered as a village rather than a town.
You will not see any big buildings, rather you will encounter wonderful touristic structures since the sea is beautiful.

Watamu is famous for its sea that is better than the sea in Malindi.
In the last years, people are more attracted by Watamu respect to Malindi because of the sea.
Malindi is ideal to grasp the most typical Africa.
Malaika is closer to Watamu, in fact, our is one of the best sites for the sea as we are in the area of the marine park.
But spending your holiday in Malaika will allow you to visit easily both cities to have the best African experience.

We hope that you have enjoyed this “virtual time” together, stay tuned to visit our country deeply following our Facebook and Instagram page and, if you have any question, feel free to reach us from our contact page.