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4 places you must visit when in Malindi, Kenya

Malindi is a town in Malindi Bay at the mouth of the Galana River, located on the coast of India in Kenya.


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Malindi (known as Melinde in antiquity) is a town in Malindi Bay at the mouth of the Galana River, located on the coast of India in Kenya. It is located 120 kilometers northeast of Mombasa. Tourism is the major industry in Malindi.


1. Ruins of Gedi

Ruins of Gedi, Malindi, Kenya
Ruins of Gedi, Malindi, Kenya

The ruins of Gedi are a historical and archaeological site near the Indian Ocean coast of eastern Kenya. The site is adjacent to the town of Gedi in the Kilifi District and within the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. Gedi is one of many medieval Swahili-Arab coastal settlements that stretch from Mogadishu, Somalia to the Zambezi River in Mozambique. There are 116 known Swahili sites stretching from southern Somalia to Vumba Kuu at the Kenya-Tanzania border. Since the rediscovery of the Gedi ruins by colonialists in the 1920s, Gedi has been one of the most intensely excavated and studied of those sites, along with Shanga, Manda, Ungwana, Kilwa, and Comoros.


2. Malindi Marine National Park

Malindi Marine National Park, Kenya
Malindi Marine National Park, Kenya

Malindi Marine National Park is located in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Kenya. It is claimed to be the oldest marine park in Africa. The park lies at Malindi, about 118 km north of Mombasa and is protected and administered by the Kenya Wildlife Service. Along with Watamu Marine National Park, Malindi Marine Park is enclosed by the Malindi Marine National Reserve.


3. Malindi Museum

Malindi Museum, Kenya
Malindi Museum, Kenya

The Malindi Museum is a museum located in Malindi, Kenya. The museum features temporary exhibits including famous Malindi Coelacanth. The museum is located in the two-story building dating from 1891 also known as House of Columns. It has terraced roof and veranda and for many years served as the first hospital of Malindi. On the east facade, there is a colonnade featuring five round pillars. The architecture of the building is similar to that of the former Malindi District Commissioner building erected in 1890. In 1999 the House of Columns was transferred to the National Museum of Kenya and a restoration opened in 2004 as a museum.


4. Watamu Marine National Park

Watamu Marine National Park, Malindi, Kenya
Watamu Marine National Park, Malindi, Kenya

Watamu Marine National Park and Reserve is located in Kenya. Established in 1968, it was one of Kenya’s first marine parks. It is located about 90 miles (140 km) north of Mombasa, Kenya’s second-largest city. Its coral gardens are merely 300 meters (980 ft) from the shore and are home to approximately 600 species of fish, 110 species of stony coral and countless invertebrates, crustaceans and mollusks. Water temperature varies from 20 degrees Celsius (June to November) to 30 degrees Celsius (December to May). The park was designated as a biosphere reserve in 1979.