Travel to Diani Beach

a good range of accommodation options

Diani Beach is located on the southern Kenya Coast.

This stunning 15 km stretch of white-sand beach has acted as a magnet to visitors from the very earliest days of tourism in Kenya.

These days it’s very much a major centre for mass-market packaged tourism. But despite this, it’s nowhere near as heavily developed as one might imagine.

Although the inland town of Ukunda, with its airport hub, is something of an urban sprawl, the network of roads that runs closer to the ocean are generally more relaxed, with a sprinkling of modern infrastructure, including shops, restaurants, shopping malls and even a golf course.

Along the ocean itself, large sections of the beach are backed with low density private plots dotted with palm trees and modest houses, small hotels and the occasional resort.

Only in a couple of core areas are there serious clusters of very big and often quite downmarket resorts, many of which seem to be either on their last legs or long since closed down.

A very wide range of activities in the area include diving, snorkelling, sailing, kayaking, kite-surfing, water-skiing, tennis and golf.

The best time to visit Diani Beach is usually the Jul-Feb dry season, but there are good reasons to visit during other months.

Getting there

Access to Diani Beach is usually by scheduled flight from Nairobi, Amboseli or the Maasai Mara.

Where to stay

The majority of safari travellers who come to Diani Beach choose to base themselves in just one property, with the usual stay duration in the area being 3-6 nights.

There’s clearly a lot of choice of accommodation in this area, but not much that comes highly recommended.

usually accessed by air from the Maasai Mara