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Diamond Beach Village

Diamond Beach Village offers an alternative to the concrete hotel, more of a rustic Robinson Crusoe experience. We work very closely with the local Swahili people taking into account their culture and only using local methods and materials to create a refreshing, eco-friendly, alternative style holiday.

We have six beach huts called bandas, one family size which sleeps four to eight. The five other bandas have a double bed downstairs and a single bed mounted in the roof, each has a front porch and en suite shower and sink. All bandas are provided with bedding, mosquito nets and towels. Our very friendly room boy, Kahindi, cleans daily and is happy to do laundry. The floors and
walls are made out of star palm which is woven locally and the roofs are a thatch of coconut palm.

We also have a tree house to rent. It sleeps between two and six people, with wooden floors, branches coming through the walls and a large veranda on the first floor stretching right around the tree, where drinks can be brought to you.

The restaurant seating area is shaded from the sun with large palm thatched umbrellas, conveniently situated with a fantastic view of the Indian Ocean. Our two experienced chefs prepare a variety of dishes from traditional Swahili cuisine to more conventional western and vegetarian foods.

Our giant clamshells erected around the lodge act as birdbaths and attract a colourful array of beautiful birds at both dawn and dusk. Sit and watch them play as you relax and enjoy your drinks. Or lie under the shade of the acacia trees on the swing beds and hammocks while listening to the lap of the Indian Ocean which is just a ten second walk away.

At dusk Diamond Beach enjoys the full view of some of the most breathtaking African sunsets. You are provided with paraffin lamps for the late evening, the well muffled generator gets switched off by 10pm.

Diamond Beach Village provides a wonderful base from which to explore the local scenery and also take in the colourful Lamu culture and people. Or if you'd prefer, simply sit back, relax and luxuriate for days on end and let our friendly staff look after your every need, whether its breakfast in bed or drinks on the swing bed.

They are happy to make your stay as peaceful and special as possible and
make sure you get into the island pace of life.

Tours and Activities
If eating, drinking, swimming, reading and sleeping are not enough to satisfy the soul then there is plenty more to do.

Snorkelling
We have a small coral reef situated just off the beach and also at low tide you can take a guided walk to some rock pools, both are great for snorkelling. Also trips can be arranged to a larger reef which is an hours boat ride away. If you are lucky you will see schools of dolphins playing around the boat.

Walking
Manda is a great Island to explore, walking along the coast line is stunning and it is rare you will meet another person on this rugged stretch of coast. Or take a walk to Takwa ruins which were built in the 13th century, this takes you through the heart of the island where dig dig (small deer) roam.

Our local guide, Hamid, has lived on Manda all his life and is the perfect person to quiz on
Manda's history.

Sailing
Sailing is the traditional mode of transport along the east African coast. The beautifully crafted dhows with their huge sails are a great way to get around. Sailing through the channel is a wonderful way to view the African sunset.

You can also hire windsurfers from Shela village and there are many boats that go out on fishing trips from traditional dhows to modern speedboats. We also have 2 surfboards and skim boards for guests to use. Our dhow, a traditional sailing boat, is always available to take you to Lamu town which is a thirty minute sail, or to Shela village, just a ten minute sail across the channel; both offer a
wonderful experience of the Swahili history and culture.

The museums are fascinating and the local food markets and shops are really interesting to experience.
There are no cars on Lamu or Manda, the only form of transport is donkey or boat, both of which are an experience in themselves. The pace of life is inevitably slow and relaxed.

EcoTourism Policies

At Diamond Beach Village we try our best to minimise the environmental impact we have on our surroundings.

Simple things like using the locally woven bags to collect all our shopping instead of using plastic bags. We have a compost heap for all relevant waste and burn all paper waste.

We only use bottles that can be returned to the wholesalers for re-use. All materials used in building are local and natural, and all huts are of a traditional design so as to blend in with the landscape.

There is no fresh water on Manda Island so we collect it daily from Lamu. The water from the sink drains on to strategically placed Neem trees, which are known to repel mosquitoes, which in any case are very rare.

Due to the lack of water on the island we deal with sewage in an alternative way. We use the pit latrine method, which is used in the same way as a regular toilet but without the flush, which is economical as it saves on water.

There are various projects on Lamu island which we have contributed funds to such as the local school fund, although we do not believe that money alone is much of a support. Lamu has a 'clean the beach awareness day' and we want this to extend over to Manda and plan to organise this for next year.

One of our main plans for the future is to try and provide fresh water for Manda. This will of course take time but is very important. And if this is achieved, even on a small level, we will buy the produce grown for the restaurant and hopefully other local restaurants.

All of our produce is from Lamu market and seafood is bought from local fishermen. All of our staff are Kenyan and we aim to help them benefit as the business grows, for example: we provide cooking lessons then the chef gets the profits from this.

We explain to our guests about the lack of water available and inform them how to conserve it, without feeling like they cannot enjoy showers! We also explain to all guests about the Muslim culture within Lamu and the respect it deserves, including covering up and photography.

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