We recently had the privilege of spending 4 glorious nights at Kijani Hotel, Shela in Lamu. Everything from the greeting at Manda airport by Boniface, boat crossing to the island, welcome at the hotel, breakfasts served by Sifa, lunches, dinners and our beautiful room felt like we were in paradise. Our tour of Lamu old town courtesy of Mohamed and dhow sunset boat trip with Henry added to our visit. This really is a piece of heaven and we can not praise Kijani hotel enough. We will without a doubt be returning sometime soon.

“Relaxing, comfortable a real authentic experience . Everyone at Kijani were so lovely and helped us do all the things we”

Location and staff were excellent, friendly and incredibly helpful.

“Very pleasant experience overall!”

Staff are highly service oriented - friendly and efficient and the restaurant has an nice menu. Lamu is hot and the room had a celing fan, oscillating fan and an air conditioner. Great beach location. They collect you at the airport as well.

“Friendly personell and cozy swahili boutique hotel”

The traditional and swahili infrastracture and nice seaview.

“Wonderful calm serene environment with outstanding service”

Lovely traditional hotel with beautiful rooms and resident tortoises

“A pleasant and relaxing stay”

The location is great. The room was spacious and very clean with a seaview verandah. The garden was very pretty, the swimming pool area nice. The food was fresh and varied, the restaurant and bar were overlooking the ocean and it was relaxing to stay there. The staff were wonderful - polite, friendly, always ready to help.

“Wonderful oasis of calm in a beautiful setting.”

Beautiful location, wonderful staff who couldn’t do enough to make our stay enjoyable, and delicious food. Would highly recommend.

Cozy atmosphere and relaxing

“African Eco Retreat”

African style amazing. Garden & pool incredible. Staff really nice.

“Another unforgettable stay at Kijani”

I’ve returned to Kijani several times now and each visit exceeds my expectations. The hospitality is truly heartfelt – thank you to Elizabeth, Susan, Evans, Tito and the rest of the wonderful team for making me feel so welcomed and cared for. The architecture of the property is stunning, blending seamlessly with the lush tropical gardens. The rooms are spacious, beautifully designed, and a haven of cool comfort thanks to the air conditioning.

“Wonderful calm serene environment with outstanding service”

Lovely traditional hotel with beautiful rooms and resident tortoises

“Lamu's most charming hotel”

Kijani is a charming little hotel in Shela, well located to discover the village on foot, and the nearby islands by boat. It has everything one needs for a perfect holiday; provides a quiet and peaceful backdrop. We loved the flexibility of management (even with last minute issues), return boat transfers included in the price, amazing breakfast and restaurant. Fantastic staff (management, reception, cleaning team, restaurant, kitchen, guards, in short: EVERYONE): kind, attentive, all while being respectful of privacy. We have stayed elsewhere in Lamu and Kijani truly stands out. Thank you.

“Perfect retreat for ultimate relaxation”

Staff was amazing.

“Fabulous stay”

The hotel and the those that work here are fabulous. We had originally planned to stay for 2 nights, but ended up staying for 4. The hotel is right in the beach in Shela and about a 2 minute walk from the main part of Shela. The staff were fabulous and couldn’t do enough to help. Nothing was too much trouble. The food was also excellent. The brekfast was plentiful and tasty, and the evening menu was also very good. Honestly, this place is a really gem and I would recommend it to anyone.

breakfast was delicious- nice that you got to choose from a menu of options so it wasnt the same thing each day. and location were perfect! It is a short walk to the part of the beach where you can swim. The hotel and pool itself is so nice and picturesque it was also wonderful just to stay on the property and get away from the bustle of the town.

“A paradise getaway on an ideal sandy beach, in a nice Swahili style, within easy reach of the historic UNESCO heritage s”

A perfect getaway spot for a demanding traveler. Steps for the immaculate sandy beach, action and numerous fine stores and dining, but offers a quiet refuge within its own compound in an appealing Swahili style, with a resident tortoise family. A convenient on-site rooftop restaurant with a bar and a nice breezy view of the ocean canal and boats. Excellent service with attention to detail. Tito and Bonnie deserve a special mention!!! Complimentary airport transfer on a boat. A convenient 20-minute boat ride (1000 KSh, or about US$8, each way) to the historic Lamu Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“Beautiful location, wonderful rooms, great staff and food.”

Location right on the water, Swahili decor, great staff and wonderful food. I have come here 5+ times! And I will be back!

The staff is amazing, room are clean and they bring you drinking water twice daily for free. The restaurant cooks very tasty food and opulent breakfasts.

“Very relaxing and chilled out.”

Excellent location in Shela which is less busy than Lamu town, so there are lots of alleys to explore and a lovely beach nearby facing Manda Island past Pepone Hotel.

“Loved the stay.”

A beautiful room with a nice verandah. Staff were all excellent, Bill the waiter and Tito at reception, also Koech. Boat taxi to and from the airport was a beautiful way to start and finish the visit. Breakfast was plentiful with good choices and dinner on the rooftop is a must.