Lamu

Lamu, a small town on an island in an archipelago of the same name, off the northern coast of Kenya, is touted as the best preservation of Swahili culture. Much smaller than Zanzibar, but treated as the Kenyan version, Lamu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though it lacked the white washed houses that I associate with Swahili culture, Lamu was full of donkeys, coral brick, and white sand beaches. And it is quite possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Another volunteer said it reminded her of “an African version of Venice.”