Kiwayu Safari Village

Photo #1 of 7 . Swipe for more photos. Kiwayu Safari Village Barefoot luxury, Kiwayu nestles along 1km of soft white beach, gently lapped by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Fly-in or boat-in only, Kiwayu is 30kms from the nearest other tourism development. Photo copyright Cheli & Peacock.

Overview

Kiwayu is situated between two Reserves, where bush meets beach. The Kiunga Marine Reserve which has a wide range of birdlife such as Fish Eagles, Osprey, Terns, Crab Plovers, Herons, Spoon bills and Pelicans. Green Turtles are found and seen daily swimming in the bay in front of the lodge. The nestlings hatch mainly in July, August and September. The Dodori Forest Reserve situated 6 km in the bush behind has buffalo, Lesser Kudu, wart hogs, Wild dog, Lion, oribi and some Elephants. The birdlife around the water holes near the lodge in July to September is a birders delight.

Nestling amid the mainland dunes, the oasis of Kiwayu Safari Village lies to the north of a sheltered lagoon off the Island of Kiwayu. Visitors enjoy the stylishly designed accommodation, vacant stretches of wild beach and the catch of the day for dinner. Closed from April through July.

Awards

• Finalist Best Beach Safari Property in Africa – The Good Safari Guide, 2010 & 2011
  
• Finalist Best Safari Cuisine in Africa – The Good Safari Guide, 2011

Responsible Tourism

Kiwayu Safari Village is constructed entirely from local natural materials. There is no concrete, nails or coral bricks, only soft mekeka matting (made of woven palm leaves) on the soft sand to walk on. The timber poles come from local mangroves, and are sustainably harvested by the local population under the management of Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenyan Forestry Department. All the furniture in the lodge is made on site by two Kiwayu carpenters, using mainly mangrove poles.

The dried palm leaf matting used at Kiwayu, called mekeka, is all hand-woven by the women of the surrounding villages. The dried palm leaf for the roofing, called makuti, comes from the women of Faza Island who specialise in this product.