Diani Beach is a

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

on the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

coast of

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. It is located south of

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

, in Kwale County.

Tourism

The beach is about long, from the Kongo river in the north to Galu beach in the south (the southern point of reference is an old Baobab tree). Diani is a prominent tourist area of Kenya. The indigenous people of the area are the Digo, one of the nine ethnic communities of the Mijikenda. Today the area includes Kenyans of various ethnicities who have migrated to Diani, drawn by the tourism sector. The Ukunda/Diani area had a population of 70,788 inhabitants in 2015. A small airstrip - Ukunda Airport - is located between the beach area and the Mombasa-Lunga Lunga road. The water is shallow near the shore at low tide, with underwater

sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...

s near the surface which allow wading with a clear view of the sandy bottom out to the offshore reef. Inland from the beach is extensive vegetation (''see photo at right)'', including numerous palm trees which cover the coastal areas. The Mwachema River flows into the sea at Diani Beach. The 16th century Kongo Mosque is located at the Northern tip of Diani Beach, where the Kongo River flows into the ocean separating Diani beach from Tiwi. It is the last remaining ancient Swahili structure in Diani. While Diani Beach has been a popular tourist destination since the mid 1900's, it has only been accessible by road through

using the

Likoni Ferry The Likoni Ferry is a ferry service across Kilindini Harbour, serving the Kenyan city of Mombasa between Mombasa Island and the mainland suburb of Likoni. Ferry#Double-ended, Double-ended ferries alternate across the harbour, carrying both road a ...

. The completion of the Dongo Kundu Bypass Highway - the Mombasa Southern Bypass- is expected to further boost the local tourism sector.

References

{{Authority control Swahili people Swahili city-states Swahili culture Populated places in Kwale County Beaches of Africa Landforms of Kenya Tourist attractions in Kenya Water in Kenya Geography of Mombasa

Tourism

See also

References