We must wait for some spare parts to be delivered from the USA for our truck. So we borrowed a tiny Suzuki Alto, which has the problem of crossing every second bumper. We chose to explore the North Coast. Our first stop was Swahili ruins (🎟️500 KES), just north of Mtwapa Creek. Jumba la Mtwana means ‘Big House of Slaves,’ and locals believe the town was an important slave port in the 14th or 15th century. There’s a small museum on Swahili culture and a good restaurant by the Sea, and the custodian gave us a tour for a small gratuity (500 KES).
Slaves may or may not have been traded here, but turtle shells, rhino horn, and ambergris (sperm-whale intestinal secretions used for perfume) all were. In return, Jumba received goods such as Chinese dishes, the fragments of which can be seen on the floors of some buildings today. Our short walk ended up next to the Mosque by the Sea, which overlooks a crystal-sharp vista of the Indian Ocean.
