Lamu town Attractions

Are you searching for Lamu town Attractions? Do you know of any tourist attraction in this area area of Uganda? On this site therefore, I will take you to all the best places you shouldn’t miss while on your visit to this area in Kenya.

Sights

The town was founded in the 14th century and it contains many fine examples of Swahili architecture. The old city is inscribed on the World Heritage List as "the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa".

Once a center for the slave trade, the population of Lamu is ethnically diverse.

Lamu was on the main Arabian trading routes, and as a result, the population is largely Muslim.

Due to the narrowness of the streets, automobiles are not allowed - the city is easily explored by foot, bicycle, or, as many locals favour, donkey.

From respect to the Muslim inhabitants, tourists in town are expected to wear more than shorts or bikinis.

There are several museums, including the Lamu Museum, home to the island's ceremonial horn (called siwa); other museums are dedicated to Swahili culture and to the local postal service.

Notable buildings in Lamu town include:

• Lamu Fort: Fumo Madi ibn Abi Bakr, the Sultan of Pate, started to build the fort on the seafront, to protect members of his unpopular government.

He died in 1809, before the first storey of the fort was completed. The fortwas completed by the early 1820s.

• Mnarani Mosque

• Riyadha Mosque: Habib Salih, a Sharif with family connections to the Hadramaut, Yemen, settled on Lamu in the 1880s, and became a highly respected religious teacher.

Habib Salih had great success gathering students around him and in 1900 the Riyadha Mosque was built.

He introduced Habshi Maulidi, where his students sang verse passages accompanied by tambourines.

After his death in 1935 his sons continued the Madrassa, which became one of the most prestigious centers for Islamic Studies in East Africa.

The Mosque is the centre for the Maulidi Festival, which are held every year during the last week of the month of the Prophet´s birth.

During this festival pilgrims from Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Zanzibar and Tanzania join the locals to sing the praise of Mohammad.

• Donkey Sanctuary: Since the island has no motorised vehicles, transportation and other heavy work is done with the help of donkeys.

There are some 2000-3000 working donkeys on the island. Dr. Elisabeth Svendsen of the The Donkey Sanctuary in England first visited Lamu in 1985.

Worried by the conditions for the donkeys, the Sanctuary was opened in 1987.[6] The Sanctuary provides treatment to all donkeys free of charge.

Many of Kenya's main tourist attractions can be found in the great outdoors, such as its enticing beaches, although the real stars of the show are most likely to be animals.

Indeed, Kenya is one of the best places in Africa to see wildlife in abundance.

While you may want to see all the tourist attractions in this area, stand warned that the following attractions shouldn’t be missed.

KENYA TOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

• The Masai Mara If you want to see the 'big five' in one morning, Masai Mara in western Kenya is the place to be.

• Lamu Lamu is one of Kenya's oldest towns, settled by the Swahili about 700 years ago.

• Lake Nakuru National Park Lake Nakuru is famous for its huge flocks of flamingos that enjoy the alkaline waters of this shallow soda lake.

• Mount Kenya Mount Kenya is Africa's second highest peak.

• Amboseli National Park Amboseli is a popular park with breathtaking views of Mount Kilimanjaro (in Tanzania).

• Lake Turkana The lunar landscape around Lake Turkana, a northern Rift Valley lake in Kenya, is a true spectacle.).

• Tsavo National ParkTsavo National Park is split into Tsavo East and Tsavo West. The Tsavo parks are vast and the landscape is wild.

• Malindi and Lamu Malindi is a small town, but the beaches that surround it make it one of Kenya's top attractions.

• Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs National Reserves Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs are 3 Reserves bordering one another in the dry landscape of North Central Kenya.

Do you know of any tourist attractions in Lamu area?

What is your favorite place in Lamu town?

Though I try my best to visit all the best places in Kenya and especially in Rakai , I’m sure that you as a native of this area, you must be having other places that are not mentioned on this page.

If you know of any place that is not mentioned on this page, write about it, I will be happy to add it on my site. If you have any picture of this place, I will also add it here for free.