Perhaps we all have our terrain. Something in a place that touches your soul in ways that other places do not. We are wired to love one thing more than another. For me it is rain forests. I love hiking in deep forests and the smell of wet leaves, wild fruits and earth just makes me feel alive. I thought that the beach wouldn’t do anything for me because of this simple fact. However, I was proven wrong this weekend during my trip to Diani.
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I was informed about this trip three days ahead of time and you can imagine the excitement and confusion. I would be travelling with the #TwendeMara team who were a takeover team working with Kenya Tourism Board to showcase Kenya as a Travel destination. The team comprised of four members and we also had a very talented photographer accompanying us.
Arriving in Diani, we decide to immerse ourselves in the culture of the people as this is the only way you can truly experience a destination. We traveled in style and used Tuk Tuks to head from Mombasa town to our hotel, Leopard Beach Hotel. They were our hosts for the time that we were there. The ride was very unconventional but it was so fun and exhilarating. Leopard Beach Hotel blew me away with its beauty. Uber Kenya also did great job when we needed to move from one location to the next. Everything here was amazing. We were staying in a Villa called Dakarai that was very well kept. I will be doing a review of the place in subsequent posts. However there are many other hotels that you can stay in Diani if you are planning a visit here.
pic/ @waiharo_dan
Activities
There was so much to do. I was very interested to taste the food, drink, nightlife and the culture of the people.
Beach Walks and Sundowners
We took long beach walks in the powdered white sands of Diani Beaches. It was so therapeutic to walk on the beach with feet buried in the sand, warm breezes kissing my skin and the smell of the ocean all around me. It was so humid and warm. I fell in love with the beach, wrote my name on the sand and soaked my feet in the ocean waves.
pic/ @waiharo_dan
pic/ @waiharo_dan
Nightlife
We visited Forty Thieves Beach Bar and Restaurant and had a few drinks and watched how the locals do it. There were other options in terms of nightlife and people here know how to have a great time. I plan to visit the place again with my ‘squad’ and we can have a proper Diani party. There are so many options when it comes to nightlife and the idea is to ask a local. They always know the coolest places.
Food
We tried food from so many places. We went to a local restaurant called Swahili Dishes and as the name suggests, we tried delicious coastal cuisine like Chicken biriyani, (samaki wa kupakwa) Fish & spicy sauce etc. We also tried Bidi Badu Beach restaurant where we pilau and a colleague bought a seafood platter which was so fresh and delicious. We had all our breakfast meals at the hotel in the buffet-style. On one occasion, we had dinner at the beach and this was interesting. The food at Leopard Beach hotel was delicious. I loved that they had an assortment of healthy options so one could still eat healthy. Normally on trips, I end up eating so badly but this time I ate well.
pic/ @waiharo_dan
Boat Rides & Swimming
We went for an amazing ride in the ocean and got to see different animals and plants from the ocean floor. We then went to a small island where we threw out and anchor and took photos and swam.
pic/ @waiharo_dan
More activities
We did not have a chance to do the Diani Skydive Experience and part of me was happy for that (because I was extremely scared & anxious). If you are in Diani there is no limit to what you can do.
Featured image by @waiharo_dan.
Thanks to KTB & #twendemara team, Leopard Beach Hotel for hosting us and Uber Kenya
Stay tuned for a video on my Youtube Channel.
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