Watamu National Marine Park
Watamu National Marine Park
4.5
About
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Watamu National Marine Park and nearby attractions
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
50 within 3 miles
Attractions
14 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- Loredana GMilan, Italy13 contributionsMichelino!!!! Contact him 😃Jamal Michelino Kenya Fantastic safaris in the organization We found the contact through FB through other tourists. You were fantastic, very kind and very professional. We were not "attacked" on the beach like all the other organizers do. Michelino & Co. They stand out in this. Very honest prices and they were at our disposal for everything. We did the Safari Tsavo east, Sardinia 2, but what they have to offer is much more. Contact him on Instagram: Jamal_michelino_kenia or better yet via whatsapp +254752305254Visited February 2024Traveled with friendsWritten February 10, 2024
- andrealuyckx1958Hoboken, Belgium9 contributionsVery niceGreat experience, again organization by Kwanga Safaris. Get on the water with a boat and see a school of dolphins within 1/2 hour! The snorkeling was beautiful, beautiful variety. Lunch on the island was perfectly fine. Very beautiful surroundings.Visited February 2024Traveled soloWritten February 14, 2024
- Sara DItaly49 contributionsNEMO AND THE DOLPHINS 🐠🐚Fantastic experience thanks to Polenta Usei (+254758882147) and Ebo who from Watamu beach will take you by boat to see the dolphins and swim with the colorful fish of the coral reef. I recommend this experience to all lovers of snorkeling and the marine ecosystem. The excursion is also suitable for children Finally the boat tour ends in the mangrove forest with a lunch of lobsters and grilled fish (very good) Polenta and Ebo are kind-hearted, serious and reliable people who will make you experience unique emotions. You can contact him from Italy and arrange all excursions with him at advantageous prices.Visited February 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten February 25, 2024
- Claudia64 contributionsWHEELBARREL FOR DREAM KENYAMagnificent week in Kenya in Watamu. Beautiful beach and sea characterized by the tides. I made all the excursions with Carriola which I recommend to everyone. Safari, Blue Safari, Love Island, aperitif at sunset with mangroves. I leave you Carriola's contact details: +254 705 242 361 and some photos so you can contact him before leaving and I assure you that it will be unforgettable.Visited March 2024Traveled with familyWritten March 3, 2024
- Giorgia4 contributionsWatamu beach boys reviewWe stayed a week in March 2024 at the Jacaranda beach resort, we had a great time. Also thanks to some guys, called beach boys, we met on the beach, in particular Stefano, a super helpful guy who gave us incredible experiences. The first day at low tide he took us to these wonderful strips of sand that are created in the ocean and showed us the starfish, urchins and puffer fish, then with him we did the 1 day safari in Tsavo East National Park with the Jeep where we saw many animals in the wild and the blue safari where we saw incredible places and ate excellent quality lobsters, prawns and swordfish, the flavor is truly unique. We also took some souvenirs from him made of wood and engraved with our names. Stefano made our holiday even more special and unique thanks to all his wonderful precautions. I'll leave you my WhatsApp contact in case you happen to take a holiday there +254 735 888498, I absolutely recommend it.Visited March 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten March 26, 2024
- Jacopo N1 contributionKenya in the heartIf you don’t know where to go for your next holiday, Kenya is definitely a destination you should consider. I spent quite some time there and the climate is fantastic, the locals although at first glance it may seem a bit 'invasive, as soon as you get to know her better she turns out to be fantastic, friendly and kind. The area is quiet and you can turn independently without problems, but if you want to know characteristic places rely on Paul, I leave you the WhatsApp contact below. He will introduce you to the real Africa, the one you have tourists usually remains hidden Paul +254 715 637612Visited October 2023Traveled soloWritten July 13, 2024
- GIOVANNA5 contributionsWonderful Watamu Marine ParkThis summer in July 2024, we stayed with our children aged 6 and 14 in Kenya and stayed in Watamu at Cristal Bay on Watamu's most beautiful Marine Park. You can admire the island of love and the huge cliffs that make the view extraordinary. To discover the beauty of that sea do it together with the beach boys. We relied on the beach boys Felice, who in addition to being a good guy, has a great desire to work and get to know newcomers, so do not be afraid of beach boys. Felice also offers excursion service, trust that its prices are much lower than those of the Resort. It was very reliable and helpful!Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 4, 2024
- Amilee2 contributionsTrust the beach boysMy husband and I chose Kenya for our honeymoon. After the wonderful 5 days of safari we were a little disappointed to find ourselves in an Italian Resort run by Italians and full of Italians: it seemed to have ended up in Rimini. A good way to stay in touch with the country where we had decided to stay for our honeymoon were the beach boys (in our case Marcellino and Tortellino), who attacked us to sell us any (and they succeeded) and thanks to which we could live the real Africa, singing dancing and making sure every time everything went well. Not to mention the practical help they get from making them work, rather than lining the pockets of those who don't need it. (Marcellino +254 728 164505)Visited October 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten October 15, 2024
- FabioUdine, Italy8 contributionsWatamuI spent 7 days at 7 Islands in Watamu. Wonderful place, crystal clear waters, courtesy and quality of hospitality Francorosso. For excursions (especially safaris in Tsavo but also Malindi, Gede town, Hell's Kitchen, in addition to the Blue Safari) I relied on Jamaica. In addition to the perfect Italian, he has great knowledge of the places and therefore is an excellent guide (amazing as he identified the animals during the Safari) but also great courtesy, sympathy and fairness on costs and times (not obvious). His cell phone is +254111260096.Visited January 2025Traveled with familyWritten January 7, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
646 reviews
Excellent
402
Very good
170
Average
46
Poor
15
Terrible
13
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
Marishaan
Zengcheng, China92 contributions
Oct 2020
The park is easy to find, but quite expensive to get in. We paid 8500 for a boat for a few hours (we were 9 people). The boat took us to a beach area to swim and then to do some snorkeling. They only had extra large life jackets and two smaller ones for kids (we did say that we had 5 kids between us, but they did not have life jackets for the snorkeling part that fit them). Also, there is no water on the boat, so make sure to take your own drinks, no plastic allowed. The boat had a deck at the top that we could sit on an jump into the sea from, which was great fun. The snorkeling is good, but average. The reefs are mostly brown, but there is a wide range of fish to see, so it is nice. Staff friendly and welcoming.
Written October 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alexander J
Kenya39 contributions
Dec 2019
The Watamu National Marine Park is the pendant to Masai Mara, under water. Anybody who wants to snorkel or scuba dive here, needs to pay a park entrance fee at the KWS Office, at the beach, close to Turtle Bay Hotel. The park features coral reefs and its inhabitants, cristal clear water and at times you can see dolphins even whales.Like all such ecosystems it is also under threat, from over-fishing, plastic and other pollution and tourism and its impact. Therefore visitors should behave environmentally responsible and for instance report any boat owner who damaged corals or uses an anchor at the corals. This unique ecosystem and it beauty, which is the main tourist attraction in Watamu, will only survive if handled with care.
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomson
Amsterdam, The Netherlands584 contributions
Mar 2021 • Friends
Make sure you go while water is clear. Not every time (low-high tide), season is gooed for snorkeling. Fish are used to humans so you swim in fact together with different kinds of fish. You can bargain on price at the boats, better book directly with them than via travel agency. We hade a fun trip. If its the right season fir dolphins, make sure you go early in the morning, not after 9.30 because you’ll miss them for sure.
Written March 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JG_137
Nairobi, Kenya49 contributions
Jan 2022 • Solo
Not a place where you can snorkel from the beach, I went at low tide, walked around, swam around, came across little but acres of seaweed, sometimes stinking rotting seaweed, and one solitary clownfish. Very generic tours here are sold by some 100x ‘captains’ around town. The one I went on promised dolphins and snorkelling. Dolphins are nice though chased by about 3-4 boats, you’ll see mostly fins and backs from 100 m away. Snorkelling was majorly disappointing…the boat didn’t have enough snorkels to go around, we stayed at the site for only 20 minutes, there was nothing of note in the water (full brown coral, a couple butterflyfish and one parrotfish…that was it). Guess I should’ve booked a trip through a dive shop but from the rave reviews on the Internet I had the impression Watamu marine park was teeming with accessible wildlife.
Written January 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel228235
Kiel, Germany3 contributions
Feb 2021 • Friends
I drove from Malindi to Watamu to go snorkeling. If you have been on some great places in the world freediving and snorkling... It’s absolutely not worth it!! I think it’s never a good sign if they have to through bread into the water. You see a few fish, but it's far from being amazing.
Written February 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aleksandra B
Lovinac, Croatia186 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We are a family with two young kids and a teenager and we all love Watamu.
Some of the reasons are the beach and the rich marine life.
Even though we visit Watamu quite often, we never get bored of finding all sorts of “sea creatures” once the tide is low.
Deep sea sports fishing is another great thing you can do there and be almost sure that you will catch at least 1 big fish.
We also like it because we never get harassed there by so called Beach Boys.
We can swim, sunbathe, build wonderful sand castles and never get bored.
Some of the reasons are the beach and the rich marine life.
Even though we visit Watamu quite often, we never get bored of finding all sorts of “sea creatures” once the tide is low.
Deep sea sports fishing is another great thing you can do there and be almost sure that you will catch at least 1 big fish.
We also like it because we never get harassed there by so called Beach Boys.
We can swim, sunbathe, build wonderful sand castles and never get bored.
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caroline L
21 contributions
Nov 2020
One of my favourite places on earth - the sandy white beach is gorgeous and the park teeming with life. But on this trip I collected 25 sacks of plastic along the high tide mark. I know it is a Sisyphean task, but it has to be done (on one morning alone I saw two dead turtles on the beach) - and no one seems to be showing any inclination to keep on top of the huge problem. One would think that the many hawkers, beach boys and coconut sellers would understand by now that it is in their best interests to keep their "office" clear. But no. I actually saw one fellow just dump the debris from his picnic at the high tide mark..sigh.
Written November 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Valentine M
7 contributions
May 2021 • Family
Have been in October 2020 and May 2021. In May the weather is not so favourable as the fish and dolphins are not easily seen. Despite the choppy waters, we were able to see fish during the May visit. Kiddo got sea sick but all in all it was an amazing experience
Written May 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Isabella221
Kilifi, Kenya4 contributions
Jan 2023
snorkeling here is a sad experience. too many boats and people all getting off in the same place. Tour operators tossing bread into the water even when they are not supposed to. Coral is getting destroyed. This is unnatural and sad for the environment,. KWS should be doing a better job monitoring this situation
Written February 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Camilla U
Milan, Italy72 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Beautiful place, crazy scenery, a paradise!!!
For all the excursions we relied on a beach boy we met in front of the Jumbo resort called Pipistrello, he was very good, we highly recommend him!!
on instagram his name is Pipistrelloefabiokenya
For all the excursions we relied on a beach boy we met in front of the Jumbo resort called Pipistrello, he was very good, we highly recommend him!!
on instagram his name is Pipistrelloefabiokenya
Written August 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If it worth the trip from Mombasa to the marine park - was looking at an organised trip that included pick up from our hotel and option of a canoe trip around the mangroves. Feel it could be a long drive.
Written August 6, 2022
Is it possible to see whales here in June?
Written May 4, 2019
Vvery difficult to see Whales in June and July and seas are choppier... Best season is to see the migration of Whales from mid August to mid September
Written May 6, 2019
Ad Agosto è possibile fare snorkeling ed effettuare i safari blu? Oppure non è il periodo ideale? Inoltre c è la possibilità di nuotare con i delfini in tale periodo (settimane centrali di agosto)?
Written September 23, 2018
Io a settembre delfini zero ... periodo ideale è dicembre !!!! Ottobre e novembre possono andare bene ... safari blu fatto è una meraviglia!!!
Written September 24, 2018
Vincenzosicily3
Palermo, Italy
Ciao a tutti io sarò a Watamu settembre 2018 avrei bisogno di qualche piccola dritta ho già prenotato il viaggio è l'appartamento che sarebbe quello di Bati charo e Marina Adesso mi manca a delineare il safari e le escursioni a chi posso affidarmi? Come posso strutturare entrambe le cose? Da premettere che vorrei fare 3/4 giorni di Safari e la vacanza durerà sui 12 giorni..
Written November 27, 2017
Ciao,io e la mia famiglia nudismo spesso a watamu,almeno una volta l’anno tutti e 4,bimbo di 3 anni compreso e ci affidiamo sempre alla stessa agenzia e allo stesso ragazzo:kaingu mwaringa +254 798 653 258. È onesto,gentile e parla bene italiano. Ha una pag Facebook anche kaingu Safari
Written December 12, 2017
Jambo!! I'm planning spend this sunday at Watamu park, I read the entrance is 200ksh but what about the activities there?, like snnorkeling.
Written August 5, 2016
Emmah , this depends on whether you are a resident or non-resident.Non-residents is around 200 Kshs / 2 $ . Go to the KWS Website , watamu marine park reserve , then click park entry fees
Written November 11, 2015
Showing results 1-7 of 7
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing