A small Swahili settlement of the 14th century on the shore at Mtwapa: mosques and houses in a grove of baobabs, with the sea at the end of the path.
Jumba la Mtwana, "the large house of the slave", was a Swahili settlement of the 14th century on the creek mouth at Mtwapa, about 20 minutes north of Nyali.
The coral-stone ruins include four mosques, among them one right above the beach, several houses with names like the House of the Many Doors, and tombs, all in a grove of baobabs.
The path ends at a quiet beach, good for a swim when the tide is in.
Compared with Gede it is smaller and closer, and much quieter: atmospheric and rarely busy.
A short, shaded walk through the site.
Pay the fee and look at the finds.
Rooms, courtyards and latrines in coral stone.
The main mosque with its washing place.
Pillar and panelled tombs among giant trees.
Ruins at the edge of the sand, and a swim.
Taxi or matatu north to Mtwapa, then the signed track to the coast.
National Museums of Kenya fee, paid at the gate.
Lunch at a creekside restaurant in Mtwapa, or continue north to Gede.
Mombasa practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
