Things to Do in Diani Beach — Kenya

Repeatedly named among Africa's best beaches, Diani is the reason everything else here exists — kilometres of white sand behind a reef that keeps the lagoon calm and swimmable. The tide repaints it twice a day; low tide opens vast rippled flats, high tide brings the water to the palms.

Resort stretches hum with camel rides and beach cafés; walk a few hundred metres and you can have the sand nearly to yourself.

The forest behind the beach is home to the Angolan black-and-white colobus, and Diani's conservation story is visible right over the road: rope 'colobridges' strung above the tarmac so monkeys cross safely between forest patches.

Guided primate walks explain the work of protecting them — an easy, rewarding hour between swims.

Kenya's southernmost marine park is its snorkelling crown — coral gardens around small islands, reached by a wooden dhow from Shimoni. Dolphins are often seen on the crossing, though never guaranteed; the reef itself rarely disappoints.

Trips run as full days with lunch on Wasini Island, and Diani is the closest resort base for them.

Wasini is a small, car-free coral island of Swahili villages, mangroves and a boardwalk through raised coral gardens. Life moves at the speed of the tide, and the island's slow seafood lunches are justly famous.

Most visitors combine it with a Kisite snorkelling day — save room for the crab.

Forty-five minutes inland, Shimba Hills lifts coastal rainforest several hundred metres above the beach — cooler air, ocean glimpses from the ridges, and Kenya's only wild population of the sable antelope. Elephants are often seen in the clearings.

The ranger-led walk to Sheldrick Falls ends with a swim under the waterfall if you dare the cold water.

Where the Mwachema river meets the sea at Diani's north end stands the Kongo Mosque — a centuries-old coral-stone mosque still in use, shaded by enormous baobabs. It is one of the coast's quiet, unticketed pieces of living history.

Visit respectfully and modestly dressed; the rivermouth beside it is a favourite sunset walk.

Diani–Galu is East Africa's best-known kitesurfing coastline: shallow, reef-protected water, broad sand for launching, and two trade-wind seasons — roughly December to March and June to September.

Schools on Galu Beach teach complete beginners; experienced riders bring or hire kit and chase the afternoon breeze.

Diani is one of the few places on Earth where a tandem skydive ends on the beach — the reef, lagoon and white sand spread beneath the canopy as you descend.

Operations are seasonal and jump days book out fast, so plan ahead rather than doing this on a whim.

At low tide the lagoon turns into a playground of sandbanks and reef pools, and glass-bottomed boats bring starfish, urchins and coral heads to your feet without getting your hair wet.

It's the easiest family outing on the beach — short, shallow and endlessly photogenic.

An hour and a half north by the Likoni ferry, Mombasa rewards a day of history: the UNESCO-listed Fort Jesus, Old Town's carved doors and coffee sellers, and street food you'll still be raving about at dinner.

Set off early to beat the ferry queues and the midday heat, and be back on the sand for sunset.

Diani doubles as a safari base: Tsavo East, the nearest of Kenya's great parks to the coast, is renowned for elephants dusted red by its soil, the Galana River and vast, open horizons where lions and buffalo are frequently seen.

Our safari from Diani makes it a simple add-on — a couple of nights of big-sky Kenya between beach days, with pickup from south coast hotels.