for as long as i can remember, i’ve wanted to visit the idyllic swahili town of lamu, and it didn’t disappoint! lamu is located on an island on the indian ocean, in the far northeast corner of kenya, just miles from the border with somalia. it is one of the last bastions of swahili culture – a unique blend of arab and east african influences, where life has revolved around around islam and the ocean for hundreds of years, and has changed relatively little even in the modern era. the town is composed of countless narrow alleys, which are always busy with donkeys and commerce.
the area is known in security circles due to its proximity to somalia. united states special forces maintain a heavily insulated base called camp simba a few miles outside of town, which was infamously briefly overrun by al-shabaab militants in 2020, the first such direct attack on us forces in kenya. we chatted about this and other current events over drinks with a couple british military contractors and – you can’t make this stuff up -a local named satan (who was actually a nice guy), and an aspiring nomadic kenyan poet. lamu’s manda airport, across the water on another island, has been intermittently shut down for security reasons. but as expected, all was good during our visit. definitely recommend visiting this paradise while it remains an idyllic backwater!