Tours & Travel – Villa Carolina

Mida Butterfly Farm

admin — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:57:13 +0000

Mida Butterfly Farm, established in 1990, breeds local Lepidoptera species and has exported to the UK, US, and Europe since 1993. Situated on the Kenyan North coast in Watamu, it exports over 60,000 pupae annually.

Arabuko Sokoke Forest

admin — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:52:31 +0000

Marafa Depression (Hells Kitchen)

admin — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:44:42 +0000

Marafa Depression, also known as Hell’s Kitchen or Nyari, is an eroded sandstone gorge, about 30km northeast of Malindi, Kenya. It features a stunning Mars-like landscape with jungle, red rock, and cliffs. According to local legend, the depression was formed when God sank a rich family’s homestead into the earth as punishment for their wasteful bathing in cow’s milk. The white and red walls of the depression are said to represent the milk and blood of the family. A more scientific explanation suggests that the depression is a chunk of sandstone that is geologically distinct and more susceptible to erosion.

Robinson Island Gongoni

admin — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:40:54 +0000

Robinson Island, located a few kilometers north of Malindi, is a pristine environment featuring a small fishing village and two restaurants. To reach the island, you’ll take a canoe ride with a local guide who entertains with songs. The restaurants on the island are built with natural materials like logs and dried mangrove roots, and offer seafood cuisine, including red Robinson crabs, lobsters, and grilled fish.

Mangrove Boardwalk Mida Creek

admin — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:38:18 +0000

The Mangrove Boardwalk at Mida Creek is a 200-meter long Tibetan bridge suspended within the mangrove trees, also known as the “Indiana Jones bridge”. It offers panoramic views of the creek and is built over the evergreen mangroves. The bridge is about eight meters high, and the only things to hold on to are the ropes on either side.

Gede Ruins Watamu – a UNESCO Heritage Site

admin — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:32:56 +0000

Gede Ruins is a 12th-century Swahili village, now a National Museum. It was mysteriously abandoned about 600 years ago. The ruins are overgrown with indigenous forest trees, baobabs, and tamarind trees. Experts estimate that around 2,500 people lived in Gede at its peak. The ruins were rediscovered in the 1920s and became a Historical Monument in 1927. Excavations have revealed mosques, a palace, residential houses, and elaborate pillar tombs. Visitors can take guided tours to learn about Swahili culture, walk nature trails with 40 plant species, and observe wildlife like forest birds, Sykes Monkeys, and Golden Rumped Elephant Shrews. The Gede Ruins National Monument & Museum is open daily from 7 am to 6 pm.

The Falconry of Kenya

admin — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:26:57 +0000

Falconry of Kenya is a beautiful private zoo featuring an extensive collection of birds of prey and other animals. It is located in Malindi off Lamu Road near the Moriema cottage. At the falconry, you can see falcons and eagles at close range and watch them perform thrilling flight shows. Most of these birds have been rescued and rehabilitated, and some cannot return to the wild.

Malindi Marine Park

admin — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:12:33 +0000

Malindi Marine National Park, established in 1968, was the first Marine Protected Area in Kenya. Designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1979, it features fringing reefs, coral gardens, sea-grass beds, mangroves, mudflats, and diverse marine life, including dolphins, sea turtles, and shorebirds. It’s located south of Malindi town, extending from the Vasco-Da-Gama Pillar towards Watamu.