In the village of Shela, in the island of Lamu, Kijani House offers a unique accommodation with its 3000 sq. metres of tropical garden, wich leads directly to the sea, and two fresh water swimming pools.

Swiss owner Pierre Oberson created Kijani House to revive the tradition of stone Swahili houses and create an authentic retreat for visitors looking to experience Lamu’s past. The rooms and gardens are filled with antiques or handmade replicas of the furniture, lanterns, ornaments, and utensils that graced the stately houses of Lamu’s past.

True to the atmosphere of a Swahili house, Kijani’s rooms and central areas emphasize the aesthetics of privacy and space. Each room has a private veranda shaded from sight by arabesque archways and trees. The 10 rooms are vast and cool, shards of sunlight and ample breeze welcomed through tall shutters. A canopied Swahili bed stands beside antique cupboards and tables coloured with hand-painted Indian tiles and painted glass. In the bathroom, intricately carved mirrors set off the sensuous effect of the walls, ceiling, and floor in warm ochre, its heady oriental effect heightened by shafts of light filtering through shutters from the world outside. Kijani House offers a retreat from the bright bustle of Lamu’s waterfront – a lush oasis of green gardens, pools, and cool rooms in all their Swahili splendour.

Each room has a bathroom and has its own balcony or veranda facing the garden or the sea. The rooms are spread throughout the garden into three small seperate traditional Swahili buildings which formerly were private homes, made of coral walls, with boriti ceiling and makuti roofs.

Kijani restaurant offer an exotic selection of seafood, Swahili dishes and a touch of Italian cuisine. Fruit and vegetable are coming from the Kijani small farm in the middle of Lamu Island.

Price Range from US$125 per person sharing per night