What it is
Around ten kilometres of sand on the south coast, backed by hotels and beach houses, with a fringing reef that keeps the swimming calm at high tide. Ukunda airstrip is a few minutes inland.
Why go
This is the easy end of a Kenyan trip: fly in from the Mara and do nothing for three days. Diving and snorkelling on the reef, kitesurfing when the trade winds blow, colobus monkeys in the coastal forest behind the hotels.
When to go
December to March is hot, still and clear. July to September is cooler and windier, which suits kitesurfers and spoils the diving visibility. April to June is the wettest stretch and some places close. At low tide the sea pulls back a long way and swimming stops for a few hours, so check the tide chart before you pay extra for a beachfront room.
Most people stay 3-5 nights.