Diani Travel Guide

Diani has taken the best Kenya has to offer, and sprinkled a little soft sand and a little ocean breeze to create itself.

If you want to spend the morning exploring an ancient forest, afternoon on an elephant game drive, and have dinner by the beach watching the sunset, Diani is for you.

Diani is immensely popular. It could be the most visited beach destination in Kenya. But, if you explore a bit, you could find a few places to kick off your shoes and soak in soft sand. 

We want you to make the most of your time in Diani. The locations and activities in this guide are the most memorable Diani offers. So let’s dive in, shall we?

8 Things to Do in Diani

Kaya Kinondo Forest

Kaya Kinondo

There is an immediate sense of mystery when you step into Kaya Kinondo. The sacred forest of the Digo is canopied by interlocking branches. Light rays piercing through look like anointment from heaven. 

Kaya Kinondo is magnificent to walk and explore through and only costs Ksh 1,000 to enter. 

Snorkelling and Scuba Diving

If you venture out beyond the shallow waters near the Diani beach, you’ll find a bustling world of life and colour beneath the surface. The Kenya Diving Center’s, The Crab and Scuba Duka are great places to book scuba diving lessons or get gear. You can also negotiate with boat vendors at the beach who often have the gear.

Kite Surfing

And if you have it on your bucket list, kite surfing is available all across Diani. There is even a Kite surfing school to get you started if you’ve never done it before. There’s nothing quite like skipping across the surface of the ocean at full speed purely on the power of the wind and a kite.

Camel Riding

Back on the beach, you will often find draped camels being led around looking for you to take for a ride. Camel rides look bumpy and slow from afar. Don’t be deceived. The experience once you’re bobbing around, three meters above the ground, is both thrilling and relaxing. The cost of a camel ride ranges from $1 to $20. 

Try Swahili Food 

After a day of ocean activity and exploration, stop by various Swahili restaurants in Diani to try authentic Swahili food as it was meant to be prepared and consumed. Meat and vegetarian dishes are equally spicy, delicious, and tastefully natural.

Shimba Hills

Shimba Hills is an ideal after-lunch walk. It’s not so challenging, and it is incredibly beautiful. The Shimba Hills reserve has a large herd of elephants. It’s also the only place in Kenya where you can see Sable Antelopes (find out more about Kenya’s national parks). Carry a packed lunch and a camera. There are plenty of scenic locations and picnic spots.

Kongo Estuary

Kongo Estuary

The Kongo Estuary is the final section of the Kongo River, where it meets the Indian Ocean. The lilac water has a calming effect. Canoe rides up the river are incredibly tranquil, where you can lay back and let your hand run against the flow. The area is peaceful and has very few tourists. When you’re there, make sure you catch a few sunrises and sunsets spiritually uplifting start or end to your day.

Chale Island

Chale Island

Chale is a perfect escape private island off the Diani coastline. This slice of floating paradise is just what a romantic getaway needs. There are mangrove forests to explore, soft beaches to stroll along, and unblemished ocean water to wade in. Chale Island is just a short boat ride away from Diani.

Diani Beaches

Diani’s beaches are consistently top-ranked among Africa’s best beaches. The coral reefs filter out the seaweed and “dirt,” keeping the shoreline clean and the water crystal. The soft, white sand is a pleasure to walk barefoot on. And they have most of the activities you would look for on a beach anywhere in the world. So let’s talk about each one.

Diani Beach

Diani beach is the main beach, which makes it the busiest. With the best hotels in Diani located near this beach, the beach hosts a lot of events. All activities from sky-diving to deep-diving are present here. Unfortunately, also present are the more persistent beach boys.

Galu Beach

Bordered by an exquisite line of palms, Galu beach is an adventurer’s playground. There’s so much to see and do: kitesurfing, skydiving, sea-horse tracking, and eco-tours to colobus monkey reserves. This beach is watersports central, and the resorts here embody that theme deeply. 

Kinondo Beach

Kinondo beach is a part of Galu, but it offers the almost opposite experience: less activity, more tranquillity. It plays as a private beach in some ways. This is your beach for intimate, family fun.

Tiwi Beach

Located about 9km from Diani Beach, Tiwi is where you reside on extended stays, or buy a home in Diani. It’s a quiet beach, where you wave hello, not shout it. The well-known activities here include diving, nature and wildlife tours, and snorkelling.

Diani Restaurants

Sea Food Platter

Diani restaurants specialise in, surprise, surprise, seafood. However, it’s the style of preparing the seafood that gives them a bit of an edge. 

Diani has multiple nationalities living there. The restaurants represent this diversity in their food. Asha Bistro, for example, prepares their food in Arabic, Asian, Belgian, and Swahili styles.

And if you’re not into seafood, there’s a lot of other types of food to pick from. What’s absolutely great is that the restaurants are walking distances away from each other. You could sort of menu shop from one to the next until you find the best fit for your party.

Sea Breeze at Galu
Lunch at Sea Breeze, Galu Beach

These are some of the best, most scenic restaurants in Diani.

Diani Hotels for Every Budget

Diani Hotel

Same as the Nairobi CBD guide, but this time we break them up into price ranges. 

So, go to booking.com and pick 8-10 hotels, guesthouses, and resorts under the following: 

Budget (Prices up to $35)

Stilts Treehouses

Stilts provides an experience way above their asking price. You can book into normal cottages but it’s the treehouses you want to try out here. Waking up high up in the trees has a different sort of refreshing feeling. And in the evening, a few bush babies come along to say goodnight and get a little snack. 

Masai Paradise Cottages

While the cottages may not be Masai inside, the outside does look satisfyingly traditional. That’s all the mood you need to enjoy an afternoon on the patio with a good book. Masai Paradise is located close to shopping centres, the Colobus Conservation and Kaya Kinondo.

Mid-Range ( $50-150)

Flamboyant Hotel Diani

Hotel Sonrisa

Sonrisa has so much personality, it feels a bit like home – just a lot fancier. With a pool overlooking the ocean, snorkelling and diving services available at the reception, there’s no place better to have a full beach vacation.

Flamboyant Bed and Breakfast

They may call it a bed and breakfast, but Flamboyant is more like an affordable, overnight studio apartment that has a pool outside. The breakfast includes dedicated vegetarian options. Flamboyant is the definition of value for money.

The Villa Luxury Suites Hotel

The Villa seems built to offer the most comfortable stay in Diani. The hotel largely stays out of your way, leaving you to your peace and quiet. The Villa has a personal vibe to it, making it perfect for a romantic getaway.

Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa

Diani Reef is a feature-packed resort. With wellness services as rare in Kenya as aromatherapy, and, on the flip side, three bars, you’ll almost certainly wonder where to start. There are also facilities for racket sports and water sports.

Highend (Prices up to at $300)

The Maji Beach Boutique Hotel

The award-winning Maji is stunning and intimate. The hotel has 15 rooms, each unique, with some featuring private pools. They are placed right at the beach so you can have your meals and quiet moments while looking out into the ocean.

Leisure Lodge Beach and Golf Resort

Another beach-front resort, Leisure Lodge features an 18-hole golf course. There’s also a wellness centre and an in-house shopping arcade for souvenirs. But you’re probably here for a few rounds of golf right next to the Indian Ocean, right?

Splurge (Prices above $300) 

Kusini Beach Cottages

Kusini Beach Cottages offer 3-bedroom and a total of 8 beds in the entire house. The houses are fully furnished, with air conditioning and a pool to keep you cool. You could even get a personal chef with your cottage.

Diani Nightlife

Imagine yourself bar-hopping from Europe to Africa in a night. Diani’s multinational residents have made this an experience possible at the beach destination.

There is music, culture and food from over the world. Tiki Bar is Belgian while Jolly Bar Pizzeria is Italian. Whatever your mood is calling for, there’ll be a venue in Diani to satisfy it.

Diani nightlife goes on raging from sunset to sunrise. I cannot describe the quieting feeling of watching a sunrise by the beach with a cocktail in hand after a raving night. These bars are lined right next to the beach.

If you’ve had enough of the ocean, there are also a few great bars inwards like Apero and Manyatta Club.

Getting to Diani

You can fly, drive or take a train to Diani. 

Flight

The direct flight to Ukunda (Diani) is boarded at Wilson Airport and takes an hour. Alternatively, you can fly to Mombasa and drive down to Diani. 

Train

The SGR train to Mombasa takes about 5 hours. The train is boarded at Syokimau, on the outskirts of Nairobi. From Mombasa, you can drive down to Diani.

Driving

Driving from Nairobi will take you about 8 hours to get to Diani.

Getting Around Diani

The best way to get around Diani is by Tuk-Tuk. These three-wheeled covered motorbikes carry two passengers and can easily weave through traffic. 

Alternatively, you could take a boda-boda from one location to another, or hire them out for a full day. Or you can rent a car, starting at $52 per day. Scooter rentals start at $12 per day if you rent from Diani Beach Vehicle Rental next to Bandarini Plaza. 

Diani Beach Rentals

Best Time(s) to Visit

The best time to visit Diani is wholly dependent on what you’re looking for. Being a darling destination for tourists, peak season really peaks! And low season can be comparatively quiet and very chill.

December to February is generally the hottest time of year. This is also when tourism is at its highest, both international and domestic. A lot of people like to ring in the new year in Diani.

March to August has the most comfortable weather and the lowest number of tourists. Most prices go back to normal and there are bigger opportunities for great deals.

From September to November, the early bird tourists, looking to take advantage of the area before the high season, start to flock in. Naturally, prices start to rise, as does the warmth in the weather.

Living in Diani

Living in Diani is not the same as just dropping by for a visit once in a while. Though life in Diani is a bit quicker than other places on the Kenyan coast, the pace is still laid back. It’s something you have to get used to. 

The weather is often hot and humid and can be uncomfortable at night without a proper fan or air conditioner.

That said, Diani would be my preferred place to live on the Coast. Because the town is so compact, you have easy, quick access to everything you need, from shopping malls and open markets, to schools and hospitals.

And the cost of everything is relatively cheap. You can rent an apartment from as low as $80 to whatever upper limit your wallet can afford you.

Healthcare in Diani

Check Google Maps for any hospitals, clinics, dentists, ambulance services, etc. available.

Diani Beach Hospital

Ambulance: Yes

Call: +254 700 999 999; +254 722 569 261; +254 735/7 223 223; +254 40 3300150/1

Location: 1 Diani Complex, Diani Beach

Working hours: 24hrs

Bliss Diani Medical Centre

Call: +254 780 100 932

Location: Elephant Plaza Building, Next to Co-Op Bank, Diani Beach Road

Working hours: Mon-Sat: 9:00am – 6:00pm

Aga Khan Hospital

Call: +254 786 633 052

Location: Diani Beach Road, Diani Beach

Working hours: Mon-Sat: 9:00am – 6.00pm; Sunday: 9.00am – 4:00pm

Dutch Dental Care Clinic

Call: +254 712 701 304

Location: Ukunda Beach Road, near Diani Montesory School

Working hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30am – 5:30pm

Gulumse Dental Centre

Appointment required.

Call: +254 783 115 862

Location: 1st Floor, Asilia Complex Building, Diani Beach Road

Working hours: Mon-Fri: 8:00am – 5:30pm; Saturday: 9:00am – 2:00pm

Final Thoughts

Diani does not claim to be a unique experience, but rightfully claims its place at the very top of beach experiences in Africa. The beach is like an eternal festival, with laughing faces all around, activities in and above the water, and restful zones when you need to catch your breath. And you’ll need to catch your breath because Diani will most certainly take it away.

Frequently Asked Questions about Diani

Is Diani safe?

Diani beach is generally safe. You have to be mindful of the beach boys and venturing alone to secluded areas at odd hours, just as you would anywhere else that isn’t your home.

How far is Diani from Mombasa?

It will take you an hour and a half from Mombasa to Diani by car, without traffic. Half the time will get you off Mombasa island, via ferry. The other half will be spent driving down the mainland to Diani.

Can you swim in Diani beach?

Yes, you can. The water is very shallow near the beach but you can walk out a bit farther to find deeper waters. Farther out is also where the water is much cleaner and less sandy.

Is there Uber in Diani?

Yes, there is Uber in Diani. Other car-hailing apps like Bolt and Little also available in Diani.

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