Rent a room or the whole of our beautiful
house in Lamu Town on Lamu Island.
Located in Lamu Town on Lamu Island at the Northern coast of Kenya is
our other paradise. This house is a large 200 years old coral stone
house which was built by an important "liwali" - a governor
under the Sultan of Zanzibar. His family resided in the house until
the beginning of 1970. It is on the list of grade one houses subject
to preservation made by Lamu Conservation Society.The building is both
architecturally and historically of great interest.
Recently Lamu Town was choosen one of the new
objects of the Unesco
list of world heritages! Read more about Lamu.
Lamu is an interesting place to visit any time of the year. The rainy
season is usually in the end of April and the beginning of May. It can
be very wet this time, but I like to be here as there are few tourist
and one feels close to the Lamu inhabitants and the soil is still warm
and reeking of all kinds of smells. Our European summertime is the "colder"
Kenyan Season. High season are the months of December and January.
open court yard
Our house "SUBIRA HOUSE" is an Arab
style house with three open court yards, pretty arches and a beautiful
garden with our own well water. The house is very big, about 800 square
meters. There are about seven to nine bedrooms and many more galleries
where to relax in the soft and warm winds.One part of the house is
still to be restored.
The weather is warm and nice and mostly there is a wind blowing. One
uses a net because of malaria mosquitoes and there are elecrical fans.
The generator of Lamu is very overloaded so not really efficient at
the moment why you must expect to be
without light every now and then. And fans!
We have not installed aircondition and there are no flushing toilets. We feel that our guests must accept that they are visiting a part of the african continent. Also enjoy the peace without mobile telephones.Lamu lies two degrees south of the Equator.
You will be looked after by Julius who is used to recieve our guests. He will pick you up at the airport and guide you to the house.
Lamu town is a busy but still slow and peaceful Swahili town with about 14.000 inhabitants, and about 5.000 donkeys wandering about the narrow streets. No cars,only wooden weeled carts.
view from
top top roof
There are a few small restaurants in town, some
exist because of the tourists and some are basic Swahili style ones.
Two more elegant "real" restaurants with bars that serve alcoholic
drinks also have newly renovated rooms in a European style.
Lamu Town square at lazy mid-day
The muslim religion is dominant and you will hear the 22 mosques calling for prayers five times a day. Starting at 5.30 a.m. (Using a loudspeaker.)
You must visit Lamu Museum, the Swahili house Museum the old Fort( just in front of our house(restored with Swedish and Norwegian aid money.)
There
are many small duka, little shops and a fruit and fish market.
Fortyfive minutes' walk along the seafront towards
the south of the island you find another little village SHELA, also
with a smaller "stonetown".Many captains are ready to take
you to the beach in their boats, just look for them on the seafront
in Lamu - Shela Beach, Shela Beach!
Here it is very quiet .There are some hotels and many guesthouses. Peponi´s Hotel is a well kept Danish! -run 20 rooms hotel with a nice grill
right on the beach.
sunrise in Shela
Shela Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches of the world. I have
asked many travellers who have been "everywhere" and they
mean that this one is one of the best. Best because it is so unexploited.
The sand dunes always change their character and the Indian Ocean is
always different but soft and gentle. There is nothing but the sea and
the sand and the sun and You.
two days sailing trip to Kiwayu
We have many things to learn from the Swahili
society. The way of organizing life is so
different from life in Europe.
It is a very good start to slow down kwenda pole pole
(to go slowly) and see what else there is to discover in life.
My advice to those who want to come and stay in Subira House: Prepare
your self for a visit to a very different society. Try to spend at least
one week of Your life here.
If you look for peace of mind You will need several weeks.
Visit Lamu in the wintertime and Dala-Floda,
Dalarna, Sweden in the summer!
Contact us for more information, please!
Tel: +46-241 22050, Fax +46-241 22038
Christina and Paul Aarts [email protected]
address: Badvägen 6, 78044 DALA-FLODA SWEDEN