Mombasa Experience – 6 Days

MOMBASA 5 NIGHTS:

From USD: 2,475.00 PER PERSON SHARING.

The coast of East Africa was mentioned in Greek accounts written in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., listing items of trade from the region that included ivory, hides and skins, tortoiseshells, seashells and spices. Today Mombasa is a modern seaport city retaining a lot of its rich past.

The coast of East Africa was mentioned in Greek accounts written in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., listing items of trade from the region that included ivory, tortoiseshells, and spices. Although archaeological evidence of sites dating from before the 19^th century is lacking, references in medieval Arab documents indicate that Muslim traders had set up an outpost on Pate Island in the Lamu Archipelago some 500 years earlier and that other settlements founded along the coast by Arab and Persian (Shirazi) merchants probably date from the 10th and 11th centuries. These towns, stretching from the Benadir Coast in Somalia to Sofala in Mozambique, became links in an extensive commercial network connecting East Africa with Southwest Asia and the Indies. Mombasa was at the centre of all this business. Find out more on your safari with Jacko Africa Safaris!

Day 1 :: Arrive Nairobi //..

Arrival Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Met and transferred to the Nairobi Serena Hotel situated on the edge of Nairobi’s Central Park. Overnight at Nairobi Serena Hotel, or similar [– booked on Bed & Breakfast basis].

Day 2 :: Nairobi-Mombasa //..

After breakfast, transfer to airport for schedule flight to Mombasa. Meet at airport and be transferred to Mombasa Serena Beach Resort & Spa for your ultimate escape. Dinner and overnight at Mombasa Serena Beach Resort & Spa [– booked on Half Board basis].

Day 3/4/5 :: Enjoy Mombasa //..

After breakfast, spend your days as you wish. At extra cost – NOT INCLUDED in this package, a wide variety of water sports and recreational activities are available for our guests:

– scuba diving, windsurfing, beach volleyball and many more,

– Elegant Cuisine inside or outside your hotel, or a typical Swahili evening to capture the spirit of an Arab style sundowner on an Arab Dhow complete with music and food are just but to mention a few of what is available.

– An evening for the Sight & Sound program of Fort Jesus is also something you ought not to miss.

–  A full-day excursion to Malindi Town is unforgettable. Overnights at Mombasa Serena Beach Resort & Spa. [– booked on Half Board basis].

Day 6 :: Mombasa- Nairobi //..

Depending on your return flight timing, you can have the morning at leisure and later be transferred to the Airport for flight back to Nairobi to continue with your onward travel plans.

Each of Jacko Africa Safaris carefully chosen hotels, camps or lodges add to the flavor and romance of your program. Our recommended accommodations on this trip:

What’s Included:

Domestic flight ticket NBO – MSA – NBO <> All airport transfers – incoming & outgoing <> Accommodation in all non–smoking rooms <> Transport in exclusive 6-seater 4X4 land cruiser in Kenya <> Porter age at all the hotels and resorts <> Services of experienced safari driver – guide <> All government taxes <> Tea / Coffee during meals.

What’s Not Included:

International air ticket <> Visa fees [US $ 50.00 per adult for Kenya] <> International departure tax: US $20 per person, unless included in your ticket <> Tip for driver-guide [budget upwards from US$ 7.00 per person per day] <> Any item (s) of personal nature, such as laundry bills <> Hotel or resort drinks, such as: beers, wines, bottled water, whiskeys, etc <> Any other item(s) not included on the above list <> Any deviation(s) from the above itinerary <> Any form of insurance. End of Quote

The Story of Fort Jesus //..

The navigator Vasco da Gama called at Mombasa and Malindi on his voyage to India in 1498, initiating 200 years of Portuguese influence along the East African coast. The sultanate of Malindi quickly established friendly relations with the newcomers and opened its port to their trade. Its rival, Mombasa, reacted with hostility to the Portuguese intrusion, however, and in 1505 the town was sacked by Francisco de Almeida, who commanded an expeditionary force that had occupied Kilwa and Sofala earlier that same year. When Mombasa became the centre of Arab resistance in East Africa, the Portuguese carried out a second destructive attack on the town in 1529 with the assistance of Malindi, compelling its sultan to recognize the overlordship of the Portuguese crown and pay an annual tribute.

Portuguese control in the region, exercised at a distance by the governor of Goa through allies such as the sultan of Malindi, remained tenuous during most of the sixteenth century. Resentment against foreign influence continued to fester, until in 1589 Mombasa renounced Portuguese suzerainty and accepted the protection of the Turkish corsair Mirale Bey and his fleet. A strong Portuguese flotilla, dispatched from Goa, captured the Turkish vessels and left Mombasa to be looted by the Zimba, a marauding band of African warriors who two years before had destroyed Kilwa. When the Zimba next turned against Malindi, however, they were defeated by the intervention of warriors from the neighbouring Segeju Tribe. The sultan of Malindi then employed the Segeju in taking Mombasa, moving his court there in 1592 and inviting his Portuguese friends to install a garrison.

In order to strengthen their hold on that stretch of the East African coast, the Portuguese began construction of a massive defence works, Fort Jesus, at the entrance to Mombasa harbor in 1593. For close to four decades thereafter Portuguese dominance was unchallenged until, in 1631, they temporarily lost both the town and the fort to a disaffected Arab sultan. Although these were recaptured eight years later, the Portuguese were soon challenged by the growing power of the imam of Oman (south-eastern Arabia) for control of the northern coast. (The imam derived his political authority from his office as religious leader.) In 1660 Mombasa was seized by Omani forces, although the Portuguese held Fort Jesus until 1699 when it fell after an epic three-year siege. An attempt by the Portuguese to regain the fort in 1728 failed. Not until the start of British anti-slaving activities in East Africa early in the next century was European influence reasserted in the region.

Throughout their 200 years on the Kenyan coast, the Portuguese showed no interest in colonization. The chief concern of the handful of Portuguese in the coastal towns was trade, and the two centuries of their presence left no permanent marks other than a few words bequeathed to the Swahili language and such monuments as Fort Jesus. Indirectly, however, as elsewhere in East Africa, Portuguese influence had a far-reaching impact through the introduction of major food crops from the New World, in particular, maize, cassava, and potatoes. These became staples in much of the region and contributed to the growth of its population.