Mida Creek and Watamu

As Watamu was only a couple hours from Mombasa, we had another slow morning before packing up.  Winnie didn’t need to go to the office so we had lunch together before riding in the stretch limousine (as she referred to it) to the matatu (bus) station.  She did the talking for us and we got the front seat in a vehicle that was basically full.  We said our goodbyes and waited for the last passengers to hit the road.

 

We passed a sign for the Mida Creek Ecocamp, but weren’t sure how far off the road it was.  So the matatu continued on to Gede and we were immediately attacked the minute we got off.  There were at least 10 boys gathered around us and everyone talking loudly at the same time.  Some were pushing us towards taking motorcycles while others wanted us in their tuk tuks.  We tried to get information as to how far off the road the place was, but got conflicting information.   

One of the tuk tuks finally lowered their price and we hopped in.  The owner of the vehicle jumped in the back with us and the 4 of us chatted while we backtracked the road we’d just come from.  We reached the camp and realized that we could have walked from the road, but learned our lesson for when it was time to leave.  They got us situated in our hut and we loved the odd design.  We’d asked for a larger room as it was the same price and we’re glad we did as we got the unique hut instead of a normal cottage.

 

 

We ordered dinner and then walked down to the creek to see the sunset.  It was high tide so there was water everywhere and we walked along the edge of the mangroves to explore a little.  Dinner would be ready soon so we headed back to camp and made our way up to the restaurant.  We were 2 of the 4 total guests so it was quiet.  While we ate, we spoke with one of the other guests who happened to have a resort in Zanzibar.  As we’d had several late nights with Winnie, we were ready to have an early night.

The next morning we got up for the sunrise and headed back to the creek.  The security man was tending to the front gate so we stepped over the dead brush that was blocking the area next to the locked door.  It was high tide again so we walked as far as we could before we ran into water.  We found someone from the village, who was ready to sell us a canoe trip, but we declined as we still needed to eat breakfast.

 

 

Once we’d eaten and figured out when low tide was we were ready to head back out and see what the area looked like without water.  We were on our way to the boardwalk when we could see rain in the distance.  It started to drizzle and we debated which direction we should go.  After a lot of back and forth, we finally turned around and headed back to camp.  We sat under one of the huts and played cards as we waited for it to pass.  It would let up for a bit and then start again, but finally stopped around 11. 

 

We walked back out to the creek and this time found it with much less water.  Instead of following the trail, we walked out into where the water had been a few hours earlier.  There were snails near the shore and as we made our way to the middle there were small crabs everywhere.  We watched as different birds flew in to look for food and tried to sneak up on a yellow-billed stork.  While he quickly caught on to our game, it didn’t stop us from continuing on and exploring the puddles of water.  

 

We made our way towards the bird hide that was at the end of the boardwalk.  Another guy approached us and offered us a trip, but we declined and asked where we could find lunch.  He mentioned that there was a restaurant at the entrance to the boardwalk so we followed him there.  It turned out they would prepare our food to order, which wasn’t uncommon, so we had an hour to kill.  We’d heard about mnazi, coconut wine, so we asked if there was a place nearby to try it.

 

 

We were escorted to the local mnazi bar in the village and a reused wine bottle was filled with the white liquid.  It was way too much for us, but once they said it was cheaper than a bottle of beer we gave in and bought it.  They’d given us a taste and we didn’t think it was awful, but once we each had a full glass we felt differently.  There was a funky smell that reminded us of a stagnant puddle of water in a large city.  While we tried to think past that with each sip, the smell was still there.  I managed to finish my miniature glass, but Tico’s jar was much larger than mine.  We decided to give the rest to other people at the bar, but our ‘guide’ wanted to take it with him so filled the big jar before we walked back to the restaurant.  

 

Our food wasn’t quite ready so we played cards in the meantime.  As usual, we were given more food than we could eat, but did our best.  Then we walked back out into the creek that was still mostly dry.  We walked to the edge and again watched the crabs until the tide started to come in.  It was a race against water even though we had more than enough time.  The water didn’t come in straight so we walked towards the middle to get a better view of where our feet landed.

 

 

 

The next morning we packed everything up and had the intention of seeing the nearby forest.  By the time we were ready to leave, they suggested we not go as it was too hot to see animals.  So we walked to the main road in search of a matatu.  A few passed us without stopping, but before we could make it to the shade tree one stopped to get us.  We paid our way to Gede and prepared to be attacked by drivers again. 

We were going to take a matatu, but ended up getting a shared tuk tuk instead.  The convenience of being dropped at the door was tempting enough for us to give in.  He dropped us where we thought we’d stay and walked in.  They gave us a welcome drink even though we told them we wanted to see the room first.  Once we’d walked around we decided to find another place as it wasn’t our style.  We entered the guest house across the street and decided to look at the recommendation of the guy from Mida Creek.  On our way there, a souvenir salesman, Bob, asked if we needed a place to stay.  We let him lead us to his place and after looking around we felt it was the place.  There was a kitchenette and our own patio and chairs so we could really feel at home.  

 

Lee, a Korean girl we’d met in Malawi, was also staying at the same place so we told her we were there and went out in search of food.  As the area is full of Italian expats, we found ourselves in an authentic pizzeria.  Once we were done, it was time to see the beach.  Almost none of the hotels had beach access so we were very curious as to what it looked like.  We reached a point to go down towards the beach or up to the cliffs so we went up to get a better view.  The waves crashed onto the reef cliff and we looked out over the algae-covered white sand beach.  We followed the cliffs around and ended up on the other side of the village at another beach.  There was an abandoned resort that we wandered around and found a man at the top of a palm tree getting juice for mnazi. 

 

We continued walking towards the beach and ended up at Coco Beach.  True to its name, we were offered a fresh coconut within minutes of sitting in the sand.  We accepted the offer and enjoyed the waves as the tide came in.  As we wanted to see the sunset from the cliffs, we made our way through the village back to the hotel.  After a quick pit stop, we headed back to the cliffs.  I heard my name and it was Lee chasing after us.  She joined us for the sunset and then we went back to the hotel. 

 

 

She went for dinner and we relaxed on our porch until she came back before chatting over a few beers.  The conversation was what we’d each been up to over the past 2 months and sharing recommendations.  In the end, we’d see almost the exact same countries, but in a different order.  So we talked about Madagascar while she filled us in on Rwanda and Uganda.

The next day we wanted to do a half day snorkel trip.  We tried to find Bob, but he was nowhere to be found.  Someone else had offered us a trip, but we were skeptical as he was unable to provide us with straight answers.  After an hour of trying to find someone, we spoke with Lee and decided to join her trip.  She was going for the full day, but we figured we could make it work.  The guide arrived and we negotiated a price.  He then led us across the beach towards the entrance of the Watamu Marine Park.  We could barely keep up with his pace, but he waited for us once he arrived at the gate.  

He handed us off to another man and then we walked across another beach to the boat.  The sand was there, but we couldn’t see it as it was covered in brown algae and trash.  It felt as if we were walking on a soft mattress that we sunk into with each step.  There was no other option than to walk on top as it was everywhere.  Not what we had expected for a national park.  We reached the boat and were joined by a group of Italians and a few Kenyans.  The boat started its engine and followed the coast until we found buoys floating in the water.  

 

 

 

We jumped in and saw some fish swimming about.  We’d been promised millions of fish and as we were in a reserved area, we had high hopes.  It was nothing in comparison to what we had seen in Zanzibar although there were a few large ones that moved about.  Once everyone was done snorkeling, we carried on further south to Garoda beach.  This was supposed to be one of the best beaches in the area so we were excited to check it out.  

 

A sandbank was appearing not far from the shore and we were dropped nearby to experience it as it grew.  The group played and took pictures as the water was turquoise with the white sand underneath. It was very different from the beach we had walked along that morning.  As we were the only 2 that had opted for the half day option, we were left behind and had organized to spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach.  Peter, one of the vendors, had the money we’d need to get a motorcycle home.  It was left with a local as everyone knew we’d get a mzungu price.

 

We spent a good amount of time on the sandbank and covered ourselves completely in sand.  Once the tide started coming in, we grabbed our small bags and walked to the beach.  There were men selling drinks and we asked if there was somewhere nearby to eat as there were a couple hotels.  He said that he knew of a restaurant and could serve us on the beach.  We ordered 2 plates and laid in the shade/sun until we were brought our grilled fish.  

 

 

 

As we watched the people around us and the water, we suddenly saw something large swim between the shore and the sandbank.  We stood up to get a closer look and one of the locals confirmed our suspicions.  It was a shark.  Another followed close behind, but when we walked towards the water to get a better view, they sped up to get away.  Then, kite surfers geared up in front of us and we watched as they glided over the water.

Our food arrived and we used another chair as a table.  There was more food than we knew what to do with so we wrapped some of it up in aluminum foil to take with us.  As we were finishing up, our boat passed back by, but we decided to move at our own pace and get the motorcycle back.  We wandered around the tourist stands and then headed up to get the ride back.

 

The driver accepted the price and then had a funny smile when he realized that we would be the ones using his services.  It was obvious that he would have clearly charged us much more, but wouldn’t tell us what our price would have been.  He dropped at the supermarket and we got supplies for the evening.  Lee ended up bringing back a pizza to share so we enjoyed it over our last chats as we’d part ways the next day.

 

 

 

Helpful tips:

• Very few hotels in Watamu have direct access to the beach.
• The beaches may be covered in algae from April to November, according to our guide, but the southern section was much cleaner.
• Mida Creek is definitely worth a visit and the full day snorkeling trip includes seeing part of the area.