Lamu Archipelago is a chain of seven islands and a multitude of islets of which Lamu Island and Manda Island, as well as the smaller and lesser known islands of Manda Toto, Pate and Kiwayu are also part.
 
Lamu and its neighbouring islands have a unique appeal that many visitors find irresistible.
For travellers, the islands of Lamu are a heady and exotic experience. To visit the archipelago is to enter another world, life slows and lazy days are spent wandering the waterfront, exploring the town or relaxing on the long white beaches.
The experience is made even more enjoyable by the laid-back and welcoming attitudes of the warm-hearted locals.

Lamu is Kenya’s oldest living settlement, the islands having been a trading post between Arabia and India since the 1500’s.  Until the slave trade was abolished in 1907, spices, mangrove poles, ivory and slaves were all popularly traded.
This trading history has fashioned a rich and vibrant culture and a unique coastal people known as the Swahili. Many of these islands in the Lamu Archipelago have Swahili ruins dating back to the 14th century

In the main unspoilt, the Lamu Archipelago, surrounded by a rich marine life and protected by reefs, is void of cars, so all transport on the islands is on foot, donkey or by dhow.