Day 01
Fort Jesus, Old Town and Haller Park
- Pick up from your hotel and proceed to Fort Jesus, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The site chosen was a coral ridge at the harbour entrance, built to secure the safety of Portuguese people living on the East Coast of Africa. It has a long history of hostilities among the interested parties that once lived in Mombasa. Omani Arabs attacked the fort from 1696 to 1698. Between 1837 and 1895, the fort was used as barracks for soldiers. When the British protectorate was proclaimed on 1 July 1895, the fort was converted into a prison. The fort is now an important historical landmark in the East African region.
- Your day then takes you through an intriguing maze of cobbled narrow streets, ancient mosques, and picturesque residential houses that evoke the island's medieval past, with overhanging balconies and mysterious doorways leading to bustling markets filled with exotic spices, fruit, and colourful fabrics.
- Then drive through the Elephant Tusks on Moi Avenue and call in at the Akamba woodcarvers, where you can see the carvers at work and enjoy a great opportunity to purchase some of the wonderful crafts and other souvenirs of your stay in Africa.
- Have a lunch break. You can have lunch at Tamarind Restaurant at your own expense. Seafood and vegetarian options are available.
- In the afternoon, visit Dr Rene Haller's Nature Park (Haller Park), a former quarry now reforested and home to many animals. Currently, Haller Park hosts a variety of wildlife, including hippos, giraffes, buffalos, antelopes, and crocodiles, as well as smaller mammals and birds. The park consists of a game sanctuary, reptile park, a small demonstration fish farm area, palm garden, crocodile pens, and a giraffe viewing platform, offering a variety of attractions at different points to educate and entertain the over 160,000 visitors who visit the park every year.
- The diversity of vegetation is considerable, from mangrove palms and majestic indigenous shade trees to coastal forests, where several of these plants are rare and endangered. These forests are a haven for botanists. Yet, each plant plays an important role in the overall harmony of the ecosystem.
- Later, return to your hotel.
