Mombasa City
Mombasa City is one of the most developed and attractive cities in East Africa where many economic transactions are carried out here since its a coastal city in Kenya. This is a major tourist destination in Kenya.
Located on the coast of Kenya, Mombasa City is a coastal city with the largest port of East Africa. Mombasa City is located on Mombasa Island and sprawls the surrounding mainland. With a population of about 1.5 million people, Mombasa City is a trade and tourism center as well as a home to Kenya’s largest seaport. Mombasa City’s climate essentially depends on the season. This is because Mombasa City has a tropical wet and dry climate as well as being the fact that it is located near the equator.
Founded in 900 A.D, Mombasa City served as an important center for trade in mainly gold and ivory. And traders from Asia and the Middle East used the Indian Ocean trade to sail to the seaport and carry out trade with the natives. The City became a major port city by pre-colonial Kenya and was used to trade with fellow African ports. Mombasa City is strategically located and has a good harbor which enabled easy flow of traffic from ships that were docking at the coast. This increased Mombasa City’s popularity and hence influencing its fast development.
The City is by far blessed with a wide number of economic activities that is to say the tourism sector has developed fast because the history of Mombasa City dives back in time and a lot of things are still present today. The foreigners have enriched mombasa city’s architecture in a way that they came with their style of building construction that changed the atmosphere of the place. Visitors all over the world travel to Mombasa City to have a step back in time to learn and observe the ancient living of the people of Mombasa City. Mombasa City is filled with ancient structures mainly in the old town such as the Fort Jesus.
Apart from the shipping activities at the coast, tourists flock Mombasa City to enjoy a lot of other activities like dolphin spotting trips, deep sea fishing, and trips to the old town to visit a variety of local markets, mosques, and temples that grace the streets of Mombasa City and also basking on the sun-splashed shores. Mombasa City is blessed with wildlife parks, ancient ruins villages that contribute to the culture and history of mombasa city.
Places to visit: Fort Jesus was designed by an Italian architect Cairati and it was built between1593 to 1596 by the Portuguese. The fort is Mombasa City’s top tourist attraction and visitors have a chance to get an experience with the Swahili life and culture. This is because it houses a museum built over the former barracks for the garrison. The museum also exhibits a vast collection of ceramics and pottery displaying the Kenyan heritage and its colorful past.
Mombasa Marine National Park is popularly known for diving and snorkeling especially north of Mombasa City. The national park is one of the busiest Kenyan offshore reserves and this is so because visitors come in every year to have a great experience with the marine life of the Indian Ocean. Some of the marine creatures witnessed at the park are such as stingrays, and sea horse.
Mombasa Tusks is one of the known and famous landmarks in the city. The Mombasa tusks built to commemorate the visit of Queen Elisabeth of England to Mombasa City in 1952. This is because the ivory is a sign of luxury and exquisite good during the time, so it would be a statement to royal of England, queen Elizabeth the second. These two intersecting tusks mark as the entrance to a large number of markets that consist of shops as well as banks with in Mombasa City. The intersecting tusks or ivory make a symbol of “M” which represents Mombasa city.
The gedi ruins lie in the northern side of the coast of Mombasa as you are heading to malindi town; it is one of the oldest historic ruins of the city and it is physical evidence for the sultan rule in Kenya. Many years ago, gedi was a town inhabited by the Kiswahili people under the rule of a very rich sultan. However, today the richness of the town is represented by wrecked buildings invaded by trees and a few wild animals. it is the only remnant of the historical arab- African history in Mombasa town.
Mamba Village Centre is a home for crocodiles and the visitors get a chance to taste the meat of these fascinating creatures. The place has a restaurant which offers crocodile, ostrich and zebra meat. The visitors still get a chance to witness the crocodile fights during feeding time. It also offers camel and horseback riding, plus a botanical garden with an aquarium. The beautiful flower gardens that enable visitors to have a moment of relaxation with a peaceful atmosphere.
Kisite Mpunguti Marine National Park consists of four small islands enclosed by fish-rich coral reefs. The park is a popular spot for dolphin spotting and diving plus snorkeling. Examples of marine creatures found in this area include angelfish, gruper, and green sea turtles. Other places to look out for include Mombasa Butterfly House, the Hindu Temple Centre, Shimba Hills National Park, Gede Ruins, Arabuko- Sokoke National Forest, and Watamu among others.
Accommodation Facilities in Mombasa City
As any other place in the world, this City has a great number of accommodation places for the visitors that flock the largest seaport in East Africa. These hotels and restaurants are distinctive in terms of services, that is to say, Mombasa City has luxury hotels, mid range, and budget hotels. So this means the visitor or tourist is left with the option to pick what they can afford.
In the luxury section, we have Serena Beach Resort and Spa that offers great family rooms and breakfast. The place also offers free parking and a spa. In addition, Mombasa City has Voyager Beach Resort that features multiple pools, a kids club and water sports plus all inclusive packages are available. Mombasa City also has Sarova White sands Beach Resort and Spa which has tennis courts and four swimming pools plus a spa and parking space that is fully secure.
Additionally the mid-range hotels in this City has Severin sea lodge that offers excellent value. With its thatched bungalows and swimming pools two in number. There is also Travellers Beach Hotel and Club that offers a relaxing atmosphere to its guests not forgetting the restaurant and bar. There is also the Bahari Beach Hotel that offers its guests a great scenery of the atmosphere with wide glass doors that slide open to terraces.
Lastly the budget hotels, are completely friendly to the guests such as Best Western plus Creekside Hotel that offers its guests access to attractions such as Fort Jesus and a peaceful environment and relaxation. It also offers free parking space and security is observed. Room service is 24/7 at the hotel. Another budget hotel could be kahama hotel and Kenya Bay Beach hotel.
