Mtumbwi is the most basic of traditional boats found along The Swahili Coast. It is a simple dugout canoe, generally carved from a large coastal tree such as a mango tree.
These canoes vary in size generally 2 to 3 metres, and rarely up to 6 metres in length. The smaller dugouts have the Swahili name ‘hori’, and are used to move between shore and larger vessels at anchor.
Mtumbwi are usually propelled by a small wooden paddle (kafi) or punting pole.

The Diani Beach 5-a-side Touch Rugby tournament is just around the corner.

Registration ends on the 30th May 2012, a week before the tournament begins on the 7th July 2012.

The fifth edition of the Watamu Triathlon beckons international visitors, looking for a great adventure, and local residents, wanting a change of pace, alike to experience the ultimate athletic challenge. Set at the Turtle Bay Beach Club, the event will be held from the 21st to the 22nd of April, with online registration open from 1st March to 6th April.

Inland from the Swahili Coast on the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro are a number of small mines. These mines are in search of a mineraly one thousand times rarer than diamond and found nowhere else in the world.

Tanzanite bought in East Africa can be great value for money, given there are no additional costs attributed to the transport and sales chain.

A Lamu Cat on the waterfront.

Kizingoni Beach is on Lamu Island - with timeless views and a culture set in it's traditional patterns. This dhow cruises with the monsoon breeze after a day's fishing out in the archipelago.

If you are enjoying a holiday on the Kenya coast at some point during your stay you are bound to indulge in a cocktail or two!

Sunday March 20th 2011 marks the March Equinox when the subsolar point begins to move into the northern hemisphere bringing longer days to northern latitudes for the next 3 months.

On the Kenyan Coast in equatorial latitudes - the equinox also announces the arrival of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which brings with it some heavy rainfall. The ITCZ generally follows a few weeks later - which is why the first rainy season of the year occurs in April and May.

The Kenyan coastline is over 500kms long with a multitude of things to see and do.  There is something for everyone be it adventure, relaxation, water sports, adrenalin, shopping, ornithology, dining, environmental – the list is endless.

With this in mind kenya-coast.com has put together a few favourite ‘must-do’s’ in the key locations that can be found up and down the coastline.

The major influence on East African weather is the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This is an area of the atmosphere above the earth’s surface where two air-streams (the North East and South East Trade Winds) converge.

The zone is characterised by warm rising air and the formation of clouds, and is clearly visible as an equatorial band oscillating north and south across the equator as the earth revolves around the sun on it’s annual orbit along the plane of the ecliptic.

A 'Periplus' is an ordered record listing a sea voyage. The document includes information on coastal features and landmarks, ports, local populations, trade goods imported and exported, distances, winds, best months to travel, and other interesting points of note that the author deemed worthy of inclusion in this guide to a sea route.

The author of The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is unkown. The document is belevied to have been written some time between 100 and 200 AD by an Egyptian merchant who could read and write Greek.

New entries to the Kenya Coast Directory early in 2011 include a website and forum on the bustling town of Mtwapa, a natural stone business based in Msambweni, and villa accommodation in Diani.

Please read on for more info and links, or visit the Kenya Coast Directory.

A photo slideshow provided by Katie Cahill on Msambweni Beach, South Coast - Kenya.