Lamu Travel | The Sunday Times

Lamu: the low-key party island

Within 20 minutes of arriving at Kinooni House in Lamu Town, I’m having a revitalising dip in its bougainvillea-caressed pool and sipping fresh lemon grass tea. Built in the 18th century as the Governor of Lamu’s mansion, the residence has been restored to its former grandeur by its current owners with respect for its Swahili architectural heritage, which reveals itself as one travels through leafy courtyards and verandas leading to four spacious apartments. The high white walls become a canvas for shadows that dance through ornate fretwork shutters and design touches such as fisherman’s trap floor lamps and stucco niches filled with gewgaws are discoverable around every corner.

I couldn’t ask for a more serene home from which to explore this ancient trading town. One of the best-preserved Swahili settlements in Kenya, this UNESCO world heritage site that has been inhabited for over seven centuries and seen Arab, Persian, European, Chinese and Indian cultures shape its East African identity. Today its narrow alleyways remain thoroughfares for hard-working donkeys (no cars are allowed) and fishing boats bob on calm blue waters that travel out to the mangrove-lined inlets and expansive, empty beaches that encircle Lamu island.

It's an unspoilt gem that is becoming increasingly attractive for artist retreats and nature lovers but I’m not here to unplug from the world. I’m here to discover how to party, Lamu-style. The precedence for this has its own history. Backpackers first arrived in the 1960s and by the 1970s, Lamu had become popular with hippies and bohemian stars including the Rolling Stones. It was dubbed the ‘Kathmandu of Africa’ as the summer of love spread far and wide. The island’s next wave of notoriety came in the 1990s when Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Princess Caroline of Monaco turned up, renovated three villas and would descend with a large entourage of fabulous people ready to let their hair down.

Tourism was curtailed in 2011 following a rise in terrorist activity in the region (the Lamu archipelago lies on the northern coast near to the Somalia border) but by 2017, A-listers and ex-pats began to rediscover Lamu. During the pandemic, it became a lockdown-free haven for well-heeled Kenyans and foreigners alike, including regulars Charlotte Tilbury and Domonic West, and has grown in notoriety as a hush-hush oasis ever since. The archipelago is now easily accessible via short flights from Nairobi and Mombasa to Manda airport. And there are accommodation options suit all, from upscale villas and boutique hotels to far-flung bandas.

When in search of a good time, it’s wise to start your evening at Peponi Hotel, so I hop on a boat from Lamu Town to its more lively but equally bewitching neighbouring village, Shela. With names like Lady Gaga, Amore and African Queen, these speedy water taxis sure beat Uber. The family-run hotel has been an institution since the 1960s and boasts 29 elegant rooms situated around a pool and palm gardens. Its new sea-front bar and restaurant opened this year. Here you’ll find locals mingling with visitors and the odd celebrity while sipping Old Pal cocktails. “It’s the local watering hole, everyone comes here, which is what’s so beautiful,” says third-generation owner Kaila Kørschen as she pets the family dog, Gumbo. Her advice for newcomers? “Have a drink, get chatting and find out where the parties are that evening, which mainly go in private houses.”

On my visit, Peponi is also hosting the launch of Littlegig, a micro festival that decamped from Cape Town to Lamu this year for a three-day curation of contemporary African music, theatre, literature and art. Its international guests, myself among them, head to Peponi’s excellent restaurant helmed by chef Ray Cournede for coconut curry, crab claws and artichoke samosa. Then we set sail for a sunset dhow ride with gin and tonics in hand. We blast out afrobeats for a while but soon decide that the bird chorus and twinkling waters sound much better.

We alight at the Floating Bar & Restaurant, a remote thatched vessel exuding a raw charm. Strewn with bamboo furniture, kikoi cloths and neon disco lights, it’s a place infamous for its fish barbeques and full moon parties. Lore has it that one new year’s eve (the festive period is the busiest in Lamu), people revelled so hard that the bar lost anchor and ended up drifting out into the Indian Ocean. This night, we rock the boat less aggressively to live music from US bluegrass artist and Littlegig headliner Valerie June.

For a long time, the Floating Bar was the only place where you could carouse all night long thanks to its off-shore location. Lamu is a conservative Islamic community which is friendly to outsiders but whose traditions must naturally be respected. Women are expected to cover their arms and legs in public and you’ll be politely reminded to do so if you forget. Similarly, if you’re hosting a soiree at your residence, you’ll be told by the house manager or neighbours to turn the music down by midnight. In short, you’re more likely to be woken at dawn by the call to prayer than ravers heading home. Indeed, locals are adamant that Lamu will never turn into the next Ibiza, Mykonos or even Zanzibar.

“Swahili people are very welcoming but there are not many places like this left in the world so we must treasure it,” says Monika Fauth, owner of Banana House in Shela, and founder of Lamu Yoga Festival. She came here in the 1990s, married a Shela man (named Banana), and together they developed a hotel and wellness centre that now offers 16 airy rooms across three simply stylish houses ranging from singles to penthouses. Walking around the lush grounds, the air is thick with sweet jasmine and hammocks invite you to recline demurely at every turn. “Lamu is somewhere where you can reconnect with our inner world, which is where creativity, happiness and freedom sits. That is the magic of this place,” she adds.

I find that the magic of Lamu can be felt in so many different ways. From taking the 30-minute trip over to the southwestern tip of Lamu island to visit Kizingo Eco Lodge and dream away the day under an acacia tree. Or from learning about the culture and history at Lamu Town Old Fort. But it’s hard to beat dancing bare foot in golden sands after dark, as I discover on my last evening. After a Swahili feast of viazi, bajia and sweet dumplings at Banana House, I head out into the dunes, following the sounds of a distant beat and eventually winding up at Mara Raha, an open-air lounge formed of striking monochromatic terraces surrounding a DJ booth. It only hosts parties once a month, making them can’t-miss. Tonight, the crowd is getting transcendental to a set by Blinky Bill, who is one of Kenya’s foremost alternative musicians.

In amongst the happy throng is Wamuhu Waweru, a Kenyan cultural alchemist who opened this spot during lockdown. “For me, dancing is when I feel closest to God. I can meditate and lose myself in the music. That’s what happens here. Everyone is on the sand and it becomes a healing space,” she says. So, whether you want to be a castaway and dirty stop out, you really can have it all in Lamu.

Photography: Littlegig

Publication: The Sunday Times