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Spanning the land spit between the sheltered bay opposite Kiwayu Island and the open Indian Ocean, Kiwayu Safari Village is located on the Kenya mainland in the remote Dodori National Reserve some 30 miles north of Lamu Island. Built amongst the sand dunes around and along the beach, this luxurious lodge is the epitome of understated style and chic.
A stay here will be spent in one of eighteen bandas dotted around the shoreline and connected by sandy walkways to the main buildings. Each is set well apart ensuring complete privacy and built in the local Bajuni tradition with a palm thatched roof and carpeted floor. Suites consist of a bedroom, dressing room, and shower with running water and flush toilets. All are furnished with a king-size bed with mosquito net and offer spacious and well furnished interiors with different sitting areas and a choice of siesta locations. The bandas are completed with a large veranda with hammocks and Lamu beds for lounging, offering privacy and a panoramic view over the bay. There is a separate “honeymoon suite” about two miles from the main hotel called The Baobabs of Kitangani. This comprises a large open living room and a very cool bedroom with ensuite bathroom. This suite comes with staff and a boatman and just under a mile of private beach.
The main lodge areas include the dining room and bar, again built in Bajuni tradition with palm-thatched roofs and woven matting floors, all open-sided to the beach .There is a cocktail bar and a separate area for backgammon or reading. The food at Kiwayu is based around the sea, with the local fishermen bringing in their catches to sell on the beach and the menu is a mixture of Swahili and Italian. Lunch is usually a combination of fresh salads, pastas, seafood and fruits, served buffet style. Dinner is a more formal, three course experience with seafood from the barbeque complemented by homemade pastas and sorbets. There is also an impressive wine list. Most meals are taken in the main restaurant but occasionally a table is laid out on the beach and the chefs cook a barbeque on the sand.
At Kiwayu activities are designed to give you the perfect beach holiday, from snorkelling on the surrounding coral reefs to sailing and windsurfing in the lagoon, dhow trips around the island and fishing for barracuda and snapper in the mangrove-lined channels. The lodge’s state-of-the-art fishing boat offers access to some of the world’s greatest game fishing. The areas surrounding Kiwayu also offer an abundance of game and are on the borders of the Boni and Dodori game reserves.
