Traveling to Watamu: How To Get Here

Located in the North Coast of Kenya, Watamu is not the easiest place to reach, especially if you've never done it before. There are a myriad of ways to get there at varying prices. This article hopes to answer many of the questions about transport to Watamu, specifically from Nairobi.

To come to Watamu, there are a number of ways to get here. They are listed below. Please note these are not endorsements for particular brands/ companies or paid promotions, just a compilation of information that has been collected from various people about their experiences travelling to Watamu.. Also this list is not exhaustive, these are just the most common methods of getting to Watamu.

1. The fastest and easiest way to get to Watamu is by plane. You will need to fly to Malindi and from there take a 20 minute ride to Watamu. From Nairobi there are 2 airlines that fly to Malindi Airport multiple times a day. They are Jambojet (from JKIA) and Safarilink. (from Wilson Airport). From the Malindi Airport you can get a cab OR tuktuk OR motorbike to Watamu. The flights can cost anywhere from 4000 Ksh to upwards of 20,000 Ksh depending on the season that you travel. The cabs start at 3000 Ksh and the tuktuks/motorbikes at about 1000/500 Ksh respectively.
   

2. The train is your second best bet from Nairobi. You will take a train from Nairobi SGR Station to Mombasa SGR Station (approx 5 hours) and from there take a private car/ public bus to Watamu. There are 2 trains that leave Nairobi daily to Mombasa. When you arrive at the Mombasa train station you have two options. Within the train station there are private vans (eg. a 6-seater Noah van) that take people to Watamu. The vans don't make too many stops in between. They will stop only in Kilifi and one or two other places before reaching Watamu. You will be dropped off either in Gede (a small town next to Watamu) where you have to take a 10-minute tuktuk ride to Watamu or in Watamu itself, where you can take a tuktuk to your final destination. This method of travelling is pretty fast and should take about 2-3 hours to get to Watamu depending on traffic. *Note: these vans go until Malindi. Transport in the vans begins at approx 600-1200 per person. Your second option after disembarking the train is to take a public bus. For this you will have to leave the station and ask to be taken to the bus station for Malindi buses where you can expect to pay about 500 Ksh per person for the ride to Watamu. This method of travelling takes a little longer as the buses make more stops in between than the private vans. Some buses might even take you for about 400ksh but be prepared to take a 4hr+ ride.

3. The third option is to take the travelling coach/ bus. Most buses in Nairobi headed to Watamu leave at night eg. Tahmeed Express or Buscar. So you would board the bus at night in Nairobi (most buses leave form the Nairobi CBD) and the bus will bring you all the way from Nairobi to Gede (again you have to take another mode of transport here to reach Watamu) or directly to Watamu itself. The trip is just under 9 hours long and you will arrive in Watamu in the early morning hours. A bus ticket costs between 1500-3000 Ksh per person.

4. Your final option is to drive to Watamu. The drive from Nairobi can take anywhere between 7 to 10 hours but it is a beautiful scenic drive. There are places in between Nairobi and Watamu where you can stop to eat/ refresh, etc, like Voi or Mtito-Andei. Drivers are cautioned to keep an eye out as there are many large lorries and trucks using this road as well. The best time to leave Nairobi with this method of transport is early in the morning. The earlier you are out of Nairobi the better, in order to avoid traffic when leaving the city as well as to minimize the amount of time spent on the road as a whole. This is a great way to travel for larger groups and would cost you about a tank and a half to two tanks of fuel (whatever that costs for your car) so drive safely and enjoy the ride!