The long beach
And its high dunes.
Bingar1234 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Adebola Falade — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Almaddy2022 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rotsee2 — CC BY-SA 3.0
A quiet white village south of Lamu town, facing the channel between Lamu and Manda islands and famous for the archipelago's longest beach: a strip of white sand running about twelve kilometres, guarded by high dunes. Shela's lanes are cleaner and calmer than Lamu's, its houses of whitewashed coral stone and its gardens full of bougainvillea, many restored as guesthouses. At its centre stands the Friday Mosque with its distinctive conical nineteenth-century minaret. On the beach you can walk for hours meeting only fishermen and the odd camel, swim in the calm channel, then climb the dunes to watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean. Shela is a few minutes from Lamu by water taxi, or about forty minutes on foot along the waterfront. The beach is open and free, but dress modestly when walking through the village away from the sand.
And its high dunes.
A conical minaret.
From the dunes.
South-east Lamu Island, about 3 km from Lamu town
By water taxi in a few minutes, or about forty minutes on foot along the waterfront.