Craig Lou of “This is Somewhere!” travels to one of the world’s most singular inhabited settlements for a Lamu Kenya night walking tour unlike anything else on the continent. Lamu Old Town is Africa’s oldest and best-preserved Swahili town, a UNESCO World Heritage site where the only traffic is donkeys and wooden dhows, the streets are barely a metre wide in places, and after dark the coral-stone alleyways feel unchanged for six centuries. Walking here is not just sightseeing — it is time travel.
About This Walking Tour
Craig Lou’s title — “Why Lamu Island Is Unlike Anywhere Else On Earth” — is not hyperbole. He makes the case through patient, observational filming of the things that make Lamu exceptional: the absence of motor vehicles (only donkeys and boats are permitted on the island), the medieval Swahili architecture of coral rag and plaster, the intricately carved wooden doorways that line every lane, and the dhow harbour where traditional sailing vessels are still built and sailed by hand. The video covers both day and evening, with the after-dark sequences — when lantern light replaces harsh sunshine and the lanes become tunnels of warm amber — providing some of the most atmospheric footage of any Swahili coastal town on YouTube. Craig engages with the local community, exploring the waterfront, the Friday Mosque, the Lamu Fort museum, and the dhow harbour. His tone is reverential without being precious: Lamu is astonishing, and he lets it be astonishing without over-narrating. This is an essential watch before any visit to the Kenyan coast.
Highlights of Lamu Kenya
The Lamu Old Town waterfront is the social heart of the island — a waterfront promenade where fishermen haul catch from outrigger boats, children splash in the channel, and the dhow harbour bustles with the loading and unloading of goods brought without roads or trucks. The carved doorways of Lamu’s residential streets are the town’s most celebrated architectural feature: hundreds of unique portals, each carved in local mangrove and decorated with geometric and floral patterns, compete in intricacy as statements of the owner’s status and faith. Lamu Fort, built in 1813 by the Sultan of Pate after the Battle of Shela, now houses a community museum and library. The Swahili House Museum preserves a traditional Lamu interior — carved plaster niches, Chinese export porcelain, and a roof terrace with views over the town’s rooftops and the channel. The Shela village, a thirty-minute walk along the waterfront, has a quieter character and a beach backed by magnificent dunes.
A Brief History of Lamu Kenya
Lamu is Kenya’s oldest living town, with origins in the 14th century though the current built fabric dates primarily from the 17th to 19th centuries. The town was a significant node in the Indian Ocean trade network, exchanging ivory, mangrove poles, and enslaved people for textiles, ceramics, and spices from Arabia, India, and the Persian Gulf. The Battle of Shela in 1812, in which Lamu’s forces defeated an invading army from Pate with Omani support, brought a period of prosperity that funded the construction of the town’s finest mansions and mosques. British colonial control from the late 19th century gradually shifted power northward, and Lamu declined in commercial importance relative to Mombasa — a decline that, paradoxically, preserved its medieval urban fabric intact. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, Lamu is recognised as the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, where traditional building techniques, social customs, and the Swahili language are still practised in an authentically living town rather than a museum environment.
Practical Tips
Fly to Lamu Airport on Manda Island (connections from Nairobi and Mombasa), then take the short motor-boat crossing to Lamu town — the journey itself is a memorable introduction to island life. There are no motor vehicles on Lamu Island: everything is done on foot or by donkey, making it the ultimate car-free walking destination. The dry periods (July–September and January–February) are the most comfortable for walking. The Lamu Cultural Festival, usually held in June or July, brings traditional dhow racing, donkey races, and Swahili poetry competitions to the waterfront. Book accommodation well in advance during the festival. Wear light, modest clothing respectful of the predominantly Muslim community, and carry a small torch for the narrowest night-time alleyways.
Watch & Explore More
Continue your Swahili coast adventure with our Stone Town Zanzibar night walking tour, or browse the full Africa walking tours collection. Subscribe to @walkingtoursvideoscom on YouTube for walking tours from Africa and around the world.