Lamu - manage your expectations

Hilarious, and I agree. Lamu is over romanticized. However, I did find the dunes and beaches of Shela quite nice, and I enjoyed the turtle hatching on Manda (my blog on it here: http://www.nomadic-by-nature.com/mangrove-mazes-of-manda-island/). I also hear you on Stonetown, but did find the beaches up by Nungwi on Zanzibar quite relaxing.

Yes Shela beach isn't bad, especially the castle set amongst the dunes, but I'm not convinced the place was worth a 10 hour bus ride from Mombasa. There's plenty of beaches in my home state of Victoria, Australia that look exactly like shela; no foreign tourists ever bother to visit them.

Agreed about nungwi, it's the best place on zanzibar. Which brings up another lonely planet gripe. Nungwi is described as a "party town" in lonely planet which conjures up images of Cancun, Kuta or perhaps Ko pha ngang. In any other part of the developing world Nungwi would be described as a small fishing village with just enough infrastructure to make budget independent travel possible. Go anywhere on the coast between pongwe and matembwe and your choices are resorts or nothing. The villages there are so small that many don't even sell bottled water, there's no market for it.

I've spent a lot of time on Lamu, and it definitely isn't the beaches that make the place special, it's the culture and the people.
How long did you spend on the island? Many people just come for a couple of days, and like anywhere, you need to spend time getting to know your way around and making a few friends before you can really enjoy it. I can see how if you just visit the beach, do a sunset cruise in the channel and eat at the tourist restaurants on the seafront, you could easily be disappointed.

The main beach at Shela is shade-free and windswept, and not even especially safe for long walks.
Manda used to be better, more sheltered, but now practically the whole of the beach front is covered with huge villas built by foreigners with lots of money (but not too much good taste!) And really, that dreadful castle on Shela beach is an eyesore.

Due to the changing wind directions, it isn't always possible to visit a particular place by dhow, but there is always somewhere you can go - the Kusi wind between April and September means it is easier to travel to the north. But even just spending lazy days out fishing, then cooking your catch on the beach at Manda, is very enjoyable (and far more affordable than chartering a boat anywhere else I know of) as is a trip across the island to see big, sea-going dhows being built at Matondoni.

Give it time and Lamu can be very special, but you won't get much out of a short visit, so I agree, skip it if your time is tight.

Haha so I take it the castle is fake then? I couldn't decide if it was a real fort taken over by a wealthy person or if it was a complete fabrication. I still like it, fits my idea of hilariously kitch.

I'm still in Lamu actually if you have suggestions. The flycatchers are really bad (lack of tourists increasing their desperation) and the rest of the population seems indifferent, though if If I pull my camera out the tone drops a bit. So far Africa is ranking as the place most hostile to photography that I've visited

I'll send you a PM with some ideas.

I hear you. I am from California and my girlfriend is from Aus, and we live in Kenya. We are constantly getting advice on epic beaches on the coast, but we have yet to find anything that compares to either of our homes. Alas, to be from beautiful beach countries.

One last thing...

The bus ride from Mombasa to the Lamu ferry took 10 hours on the way there and 11 hours on the way back. Throw in at least half an hour for the boat ride and transiting to your hotel and you're looking at a 12 hour day of transport, from dawn to dusk.

five of those hours will be spent travelling the last 100km, where the dirt roads are terribly corrugated and all the buses are forced to drive in convoy and you need to disembark at least four times with your ID and pass through security.

I'm not sure how long the situation has been like this, the book talks about 6 - 7 hours and even the ticket sellers will quote similar, before remarking that it might take 8 hours. I can't see the situation improving without some serious road works and a relaxation of security.

On top of all this, both you and your pack will be completely covered in fine red dust at the end of the day. It'll take you at least another hour to clean it all.

So if you still really want to go to Lamu and you're not a masochist, treat yourself and take the plane

If in Lamu, Lamu Backpackers is a good place to stay. Maybe it'll help enhace your Lamu experience.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294208-d2310204-Reviews-Baitul_Noor_House_Lamu_Backpackers-Lamu_Island_Coast_Province.html

And swing by Kilifi Backpackers and chill with Romain and Tom there on your way down to Mombasa....And Mombasa, skip it!!!

I've traveled extensively in Africa, and all over the world for that matter. I've never been on a safari in Africa, or probably to any other of the LP East Africa's top ten locations. And Lamu is hands down one of my favorite places in the world. Would I rate its beaches as world class, absolutely not. Why anyone would even contemplate diving there, or elsewhere anywhere in East Africa south of Djibouti is beyond me. Would I rate it as one of the most impressive cultural and architectally interesting places along the Swahili coast, absolutely.