Travels With Clo

The Kongo River estuary is a hidden gem along the Diani coast.

Settlers first arrived here as early as the 6th century, and it was a vibrant trading settlement until the 14th.

The estuary itself is named after the 14th century mosque, built by the leader at the time Swaddiq Kongo, situated at the site where the Kongo River meets the Indian Ocean.

Even though little now remains of this old Swahili town, the ruins of the ancient mosque are still standing, a testament to the areas rich maritime history.

Today, the estuary is known for its white sands and turquoise waters, and is the starting point for sunset cruises along the estuary, to enjoy the view amongst the mangroves and local birdlife.

We booked our cruise on Get Your Guide, and it was £26 per person. We chose this specific one as it included hotel pickup, and our hotel was about a 45 minute walk from the estuary. Here is the link if you would also like to book.

We were picked up by our guide in a TukTuk, which we were a little apprehensive about as we had never ridden in one before. The one that arrived however was very spacious, had handles to hold onto, a fan, and the driver drove very carefully.

The journey took around fifteen minutes, straight down the Diani strip. Our guide, Juma, then took us to the ruins of the mosque to explain the history to us, and we walked across the beach to the river estuary.

We had of course discussed this before booking, but my husband cannot swim. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, and although I was excited when I saw a traditional wooden canoe, I was a little panicked for him, but he took it in his stride and was alright. The water wasn’t very deep anyway, so if the worst came to it, he could put his feet on the bottom. Juma also did a great job of assuring him there were no hippos or crocodiles in the water!

We had to climb into the canoe very slowly to ensure it didn’t tip over. He got in first and sat in the middle, and then I sat in the front. The boat was very narrow, and I couldn’t put my feet down on the floor, so they were stretched out in front of me, which was actually quite comfortable.

Juma and our canoe rower then pushed the boat further into the river, and both climbed on the back to start guiding us along our cruise.

He told us that we had an hour and twenty minutes on the water, which was a lot longer than I expected, and as we sailed, he told us all about the endangered mangrove trees and the different birds that lived along the riverbank.

One of the main things I noticed was that a lot of the mangroves were not very healthy. Juma explained that this is due to them being over exploited by the local population to build houses and use them for firewood, but also due to eliminate change affecting water levels. The water in the Kongo river is a lot lower than usual, so a lot of the tree roots aren’t getting the nourishment they should.

The female mangroves also hugely outweigh the male trees. He explained that when the seeds land in the sand of female trees, they grow easily. The male seeds have to land perfectly vertical or they won’t grow. Because of this, many mangroves are grown in farms and brought to the estuary when they reach adolescence.

As the evening was drawing in, the canoe was parked in the middle of the river, facing the sun to watch as it set. Juma had brought along some local snacks for us to enjoy whilst we watched the sunset, including some dried mango chips, and a coconut bar which tasted very similar to the UK beach treat coconut ice.

It was peaceful, and very romantic, listening to the water gliding past and the birds tweeting from the mangroves.

Even though we try to enjoy them, we both feel very fidgety sat at an all inclusive by the pool all day. We like to be out, making memories and experiencing new things together. This excursion was only a couple of hours before dinner, but it was the highlight of our day, and during our Tuktuk ride home, we both commented on how glad we were that we booked this trip.

If you are in the Diani area for a couple of days, and have a spare few hours around sunset, I can’t recommend this tour enough. It was hugely informative, as well as an amazing experience. We both learnt so much about the history of the Diani area, and the flora and fauna, which enhanced our holiday.