Wasini Island

The final pearl in the tropical beach necklace that stretches south of Mombasa is the idyllic island of Wasini, located about 76km south of the Likoni ferry crossing. With its faded white alleyways, Swahili fishing vibe, and fat, mottled trees, this tiny island (it's only 5km long) feels like a distant relative of Lamu and Zanzibar. Sparsely populated with a village at either end, Wasini Island is an enigma. Disconnected from the mainland and the last populated outpost on the southern coast of Kenya, Wasini is infamous for its Baobab tree forest, the village of Wasini with its ethnic Swahili people, and the centuries-old trade link with the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. Therefore, it's ripe with the ingredients required for a perfect backpacker beachside hideaway: it has that sit-under-a-mango-tree-and-do-nothing-all-day vibe, a coastline licked with pockets of white sand, and Kisite Marine National Park, the most gorgeous snorkeling reef on the coast. In fact, the only things it doesn’t have are regular electricity, banana-pancake traveler cafes, backpacker hostels, and cars, and it’s all the better for it.

Wasini's 2 tribes, the Vumba and the Mwikro live in the villages of Wasini and Mwkiro and inland in the hamlet Nyuma Maji, meaning "behind the water" in Swahili. Together they make up the island's 3,000 residents. Wasini's coral garden is an inner seawater lagoon that floods and empties every day with the tide. At low tide, beautiful coral formations appear that you can visit without needing your mask and flippers.