Lamu from Mombasa
Lamu Old Town is reached by boat. A flight to Manda Airport is the shorter way from Mombasa. The road to the mainland jetty is about 6 to 7 hours, and the boat is still required. Cars are not used in the stone town.
Checked 19 October 2026. The road time is a planning figure to the mainland jetty, not to a hotel door on Lamu island.
Two ways there
The photograph at the top is Mombasa, the city the trip starts from. By air, you fly toward Manda and take a boat across the channel. By road, you drive the north coast past Malindi to the Mokowe jetty, about 6 to 7 hours from Mombasa, and then take a boat. Either way, the last part is water.
Lamu Old Town is a UNESCO stone town of narrow lanes. Donkeys and boats do the carrying. Do not expect the tour van to drop you at a carved door. Tell us if you want Shela as well as the old town. A house or hotel on the island is booked with the accommodation request, not assumed inside the transfer.
Questions
Can the car drive into Lamu Old Town?
No. The island town is reached by boat. The vehicle stops at the mainland jetty or you fly to Manda and take a boat.
How long is the road?
About 6 to 7 hours from Mombasa to the jetty, then the boat. A flight is the shorter journey.
Is Lamu a day trip?
No. Treat it as an overnight at least. The road alone uses most of a day.
Malindi from Mombasa
Coast destinations from Mombasa
Accommodation and rentals