Mombasa
The hot and humid holiday destination of Mombasa is the biggest
port on the east coast of Africa, serving five different countries
and located at the beginning of the only railway that crosses the
Kenyan interior, built by the British in 1901. Mombasa is situated
on an island linked to the mainland by bridges and surrounded by a
natural harbour where commercial shipping mixes with traditional
sailing dhows.
The main Mombasa holiday attraction is the commanding
16th-century fort protecting the entrance of the harbour, Fort
Jesus, whose remnants relay the story of a historic struggle for
control of the coast between the Portuguese and Arabs. Behind this,
on Treasury Square, is the Government Game Department's Ivory Room,
exhibiting elephant tusks, rhinoceros horns, hippopotamus teeth and
other animal trophies confiscated from poachers or taken from dead
animals on the reserve.
Mombasa's Old Town retains a strong Arab flavour and is the true
heart of the city, with an intricate pattern of winding streets
alive with the colours of the traditional wrap-around clothing,
crammed with faded houses and street sellers, and filled with the
heavy scent of spices. It is best to visit the Old Town with an
official guide when on holiday, as mugging is not uncommon.
As a large city, Mombasa operates as the holiday hub of the
coastal tourism trade, despite its lack of attractive beaches, so
most visitors stay long enough to look around before heading either
north or south to one the beautiful beach resorts nearby.