Locations - the coast - Kikambala

Kenya's coastline is the dream of every tourist. Beautiful sandy beaches and the best places for sun worshipers and water sports are to be found down Kenya's coast.

The reef along Kikambala makes the tides very strong and dramatic which maybe a disadvantage for the European surfer. But this is the beauty of the place because one can walk to the reef at low tide and see the secrets hidden under the sea. A variety of flora and fauna is represented in the lagoon and on the coral reef itself. However it is important to wear appropriate shoes to avoid unpleasant surprises from the sea anemone sting.

It is also much fun to take a ride in a katamaran used by the local fishermen. During walks one can accept the company of the numerous beach-boys but never buy the shells and corals being offered for sale as this destroys the coral reef, a habitat for many fish species.

For the beach-boys and the women selling souvenirs, the tourists are often the only sources of income. They sell wood-curvings a very good gift for the people back home or Kangas (pieces of clothes). Tourist ladies will be pleased to find hairdressers doing a nice rasta hairdo for them at a most reasonable price. Most of the artworks sold down the beach is aimed at tourists and is made with that in mind i.e. fishermen in the boats with coconut palms in the background.

If you are not so interested in the tourists' motifs just ask for Mr. Kagia and ask him for something special. He can draw anything your heart may wish for, but it is better that you agree about the price first. Talk to the people and give them a chance to earn a honest living. You may also get a chance to make friends. Maybe then you will get to hear the story of the whale which came too close to the shore and could not swim back into the high sea and had to die stranded on the beach, which for the fishermen was a good source of income as people from across the country came to get a chance to be taken with the canoes where the whale was stranded.

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