1 DAY MOMBASA

Overview

Explore Mombasa’s colonial history, old town, and nature on a full-day private tour that includes entrance fees, all activities, and round-trip hotel transport. Get the perfect introduction to the city by visiting with a local guide, who will share stories about Mombasa culture and heritage, and introduce you to local cuisine in the old town market.

• Visit Fort Jesus UNESCO site
• See the old town and tour a local market and the Wood Carvers Village

What To Expect

Begin with pickup at your Diani Beach accommodations, then travel to Fort Jesus, a UNESCO-listed, 16th-century Portuguese fort. Visit a series of exhibits inside the fort, which is also Mombasa’s oldest museum, following the history of local people, the Swahili language, and the sultans.

Continue into Mombasa’s old town, where diverse historical architecture tells the story of the Africans, Arabs, Asians, Portuguese, and British who have shared the city for hundreds of years. Take in the elephant trunk monument, a poignant reminder of the now-illegal ivory trade that flourished in Mombasa. Pass the atmospheric fish market, where local fishermen display each day’s catch, and take time to sample local dishes in the market (own expense)—visiting the market with the guide is a perfect way to learn about Mombasa specialties.

Spend the afternoon in Haller Park, a wildlife sanctuary with a fish farm and reptile zoo. The park was constructed in a disused cement quarry, and has been transformed with hundreds of indigenous plants, casuarina trees, and other vegetation, which now support a thriving animal population. Try to spot some of the bush pigs, giraffes, elands, and Oryx that live within the park. After visiting the park, return to your Mombasa hotel, where this private tour concludes.