Best things to do in Watamu

Originally built in the 12th century, the present-day structure of Gede Ruins dates from the 15th and 16th century. This site features large stone houses in addition to a mosque and palace; researchers believe that the town--which remained undiscovered until the 1940s--once supported 2,500 people. The walled city represents a medieval Swahili settlement that likely covered and also features a pillar tomb, which signified a man of importance was buried there.

Watamu Beach was recently rated the second best beach in Africa by CNN Travel and Watamu Treehouse is situated on the nicest and quietest part of Watamu Beach – a beautiful stretch of white sand with no hotels nearby - only other houses.

The Treehouse is located on one of the only plots that still maintain the original forest. The house was built in 1995, extended in 2003 and then again in 2013. To keep the forest intact, the house was built as towers coming up from the small piece of land that had previously been cleared. Today Treehouse rises above the forest with 360 degree views to the forest and beach.

Details of the current Watamu Treehouse can be found on our website www.treehouse.co.ke.

Explore abundant underwater life at Watamu National Marine Park, Kenya's first such park featuring over 600 species of colorful fish and other sea creatures. With coral reefs and gardens only about 300 m (984 ft) from the shore, you will encounter an explosion of colors during your snorkeling trip, both under and above the water--cultivated gardens, shambas, and bush housing shelter over 100 species of birds along the shore. You can spot turtles and dugongs as well. Sunbathe on white sandy beaches or go water skiing and windsurfing. Or, book a glass-bottom boat tour with frest-caught seafood meals.

Learn about the rehabilitation of turtles at Local Ocean Conservation, run by an experienced team of conservationists. Get up close to the endangered creatures and learn all about the efforts made here to provide them with a safe environment.

East African Reptile Park serves as a research center and rescue service housing the largest collection of snakes in East Africa. An informed guide will tell you all about the more than 125 species of snakes in Kenya (more than 90 are non-venemous or not dangerous). The center produces bio-toxins and offers snake removal services as well as antidotes for snake bites. Watch professionals milking snakes for medical research purposes and observe feedings. You'll also see some other reptiles and amphibians on the farm like crocodiles, tortoises, and chameleons.

Take a canoe ride through the mangrove banks of Mida Creek, a large saline lagoon and tidal creek merging with a huge mangrove forest. This UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve provides a safe haven for national waterfowl and a number of migratory species, including large flamingos and crab-plovers, greenshanks and sacred ibises. Spanning 1,600 hectares (3,954 acres), these wetlands feature 11 types of seagrass and 33 seaweed species, as well six varieties of mangrove. Follow the long boardwalk deep into the forest and take a dip in one of the lagoons surrounded by dense vegetation.

Once, a dry coastal forest stretched for 4,000 km from Somalia to Mozambique. Now, the largest fragment is Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, which covers 400 km2.

It’s one of the most important forests for wildlife in all of Africa, providing a home for six globally threatened birds, two remarkable species of elephant-shrew and about a hundred African Elephant. If anywhere in the world should be protected for its unique wildlife, it’s this forest.

Now, it’s threatened by seismic surveys for gas and oil. Roads are already being cleared into the forest. A Rocha, other NGOs and local community leaders have sent petitions to government bodies, asking for the surveys to be stopped.