From Mtwapa Creek up to Malindi , the landscape is a diverse collage, from rolling baobab country and sisal plantations as you near Kilifi to groves of cashew trees after it; thick, jungly forest and swamp characterizes Mida Creek, and there's a more compact, populated zone of shambas and thicket as you approach Malindi. Kilifi and Takaungu creeks are stunning - the clash of blue water and green cliffs almost unnatural.

 

There is wide scope for beach hunting along this part of the coast. Malindi and, to some extent, Watamu have been developed, but Kilifi functions largely as a Giriama market-centre and district capital, while Takaungu seems virtually unknown, a throwback to pre-colonial days. There's also superb snorkelling at Watamu and Malindi marine national parks . And the ruined town of Gedi , deep in the forest near Watamu, is one of the most impressive archeological sites in East Africa.