Date Posted: 2/24/2015 11:25:41 AM
Posted By: Symontokali Membership Level: Silver Total Points: 277
Ever heard anything regarding this calm coastal town of Kenya? I bet most of you haven’t yet.Kilifi town got its name from the massive cliffs that you observe immediately you start crossing the Kilifi bridge (the longest bridge in Kenya at 420m long) which connects Mnarani and Kilifi town across the Kilifi creek. As a result of the locals failure to correctly spell the English word “cliff”, they decided to break the verbal agreement and nicknamed the place “Kilifi”.You therefore see how much the cliffs contributed to the naming of this wonderful and peaceful town which most tourists haven’t yet realized its potential strength in providing what most of them scramble for..the experiences a tourist madly looks for. But it seems like this town (my motherland) still maintains a quaint unassuming character.Kilifi town lies between Malindi and Mombasa town, a distance of 50km from Mombasa and approximately 25km from Malindi.The town is always busy buzzing with activities during the day and quite a nightlife come dusk. It has some of the best shorelines accommodating the best soft and white sandy beaches in Kenya and the whole of the Eastern African shoreline in general. I’m not overrating this town but it’s what research implies. The Bofa beach as I quote “is the most beautiful finest beach along the coast of Kenya and one of the most idyllic in the entire world”. This amazing coastal feature is found nowhere but right there in the town. One of the most delightful ways to see the beauty of Kilifi Creek is to take a dhow trip. The small Swahili kijahazi dhows crilife and scenic surroundings. Regular ‘sundowner’ trips are a great favorite with the local residents and visitors to Kilifi. Overlooking Kilifi Creek from the Southern side, some 200 meters from the Mombasa Road, you will find the old ruins of Mnarani, an ancient coastal settlement dating back to the early 14th Century. This site is quite a place not to miss out! You’ll be surprised to discover how the ancient people settled and carried out their daily life, how they worshiped and how they generally conducted themselves. It’s quite a scenic place not to miss out! The site consists of two mosques and a group of tombs. The first mosque was not built until about 1425 although the area was first settled in the early 14th Century. The smaller second mosque that remains was built in about 1500; however, there was another mosque that was built before it on the same site around 1475. Mnarani was destroyed by the warring Galla people in the early 17th century. Also at the site of the ruins you will see the largest baobab tree on the Kenya coast. A large hole has been made in the side of the tree where local people leave offerings. Many people visit this peaceful site to meditate and to picnic. I bet this town gets the traffic it deserves to maximally tap out this sector which is lagging behind in this beautiful town.The hospitality industry within the town is worth to consider talking about. Kilifi town has some of the best hotels and restaurants offering the best deals at quite a friendly price. Located on Kilifi’s beach, the Kilifi Bay Beach resort offers spacious rooms with a balcony with Indian Ocean views. It’s quite a place to spend the night once you are out there. We also have the Makuti villas Resort. Surrounded by tropical gardens, Makuti Villas Resort is situated in Kilifi town just beside the Mombasa-Malindi highway, a few meters to the Pwani University. It offers a large outdoor pool, conference facilities, a restaurant and a bar. Kilifi Creek is 1 km away. The town also boasts such prestigious hotels as Mnarani hotel which is just before Kilifi Bridge, Baobab sea lodge, Sunset Villa, Titanic hotel, Vipingo ridge which is within Rea Vipingo sisal plantation (the largest sisal plantation in Kenya), Shwari house and many more. Club Da-Pot which is just beside Pwani University will also give tourists a memorable night out.Also not missing out, the famous Mijikenda culture which is of significance to the country’s culture is found here. The rich culture endowed by these people is worth to recommend. Swahili and Mijikenda language are widely spoken across the county. The Mijikenda (nine cities) is a wider grouping that comprises nine sub-tribes; Giriama, Digo, Chonyi, Kambe, Jibana, Kauma, Duruma, Rabai and Ribe. All of these sub-groups speak the Mijikenda language. The most surprising feature about these nine sub-tribes is that they speak almost the same language though it just differs a little. It’s one of the cultures with which the country is proud of endowing.With all these features which have the potential to attract a massive number of tourists annually, I’m surprised to see how much the town earns annually from the tourism sector. The figures are quite discouraging. Maybe you are asking yourself “WHY?”The answer is just simple…’traffic’...The government seems like it has focused more in advertising the tourism sector in the areas where the sector has already developed skipping such towns as Kilifi which have got the potential to showcase wonders in the tourism sector. The town therefore remains under-tapped when it comes to its tourism potential. The government needs to consider such an issue and wake up as quickly as possible to tap into such an opportunity. Kilifi has the potential to make it to levels enjoyed by Disneyland. I can see this town as the next tourism hub of Kenya. KENYA, WAKE UP!!
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