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The lush tropical bush of Kenya's coral coast is brilliant with many birds and fragrant blossoms of frangipani and hibiscus. The vivid colours of bougainvillaea and stands of graceful palms frame long stretches of white coral sand lapped by the gentle warm water of the Indian Ocean.

Stretching 480 kilometres from Somalia in the north and Tanzania in the south, the Kenyan Coast has been known to the world since 110 A.D. when a stop at the port of Mombasa was recorded by Diogenes, a Greek explorer. Ptolemy, another Greek, included details of the Kenyan Coast in his 150 A.D "Map of the World"

Since then, Arabs who came to trade, settled, intermarried and mingled with the coastal tribes. They created a new Swahili language and culture that is very much alive today in Old Town Mombasa and on Lamu and Wasini Islands. They built beautiful cities embellished with carvings and monuments.

Portuguese explorers and traders brought a garrison to Mombasa at the end of the 16th Century and built the formidable Fort Jesus, which still stands.

Today, the Kenyan Coast is known for its fine beaches and resorts and generally even-tempered weather. The beauty of the coral and the amazing colours and shapes of the tropical fish invite goggling and/or scuba diving. The national marine parks and reserves off Shimoni, Mombasa, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu protect these marine treasures. Kenyan reefs have been favourably compared with those of Australia and the Red Sea.